


The Big Lake in the Sky

by Jaspre_Rose



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: 21 Questions, Alien Planet, F/M, Misunderstandings, New pet!, Surprise Birthday Party, Tad OOC sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 18:15:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 45,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6621151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaspre_Rose/pseuds/Jaspre_Rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This year, the Doctor will really give Rose a birthday to remember. A pet will be adopted, a game will be played, a party will be had, and misunderstandings will finally be cleared up. </p>
<p>This is almost entirely pre-relationship territory. Well, except for that whole post-universe-saving shag marathon months ago. Ahem.</p>
<p>Mentions of marriage, children, douchey ex-boyfriends, perfect dates, and the Doctor's secret fondness of Jackie Tyler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Big Lake in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place months after that mess with the Daleks, Donna, the metacrisis (oh, my heart). Coping mechanism was to write and that therapy spawned this ridiculously long single-day story. Weeeell, nearly. The last couple of pages took place the next morning.
> 
> Enjoy!  
> xx Jaspre

"Rose Marion Tyler!" 

Startled by the boisterous yell, Rose tried to keep her tea from sloshing over the rim as she dropped her toast and settled wide eyes on the Doctor. He was bouncing in place, a comically wide grin stretching his cheeks. 

"What are ya yellin' for? What'd I do?"

"Absolutely nothing. Today, Miss Tyler, is your twenty-fifth birthday." He looked so proud for knowing that and she smiled in response. "Well, it would be your birthday if we were on Earth, but being on board is much better than that dreary little place you used to call home." 

"Right." 

His grin impossibly widened. "Happy birthday." 

"Thank you. Toast?"

"No, thank you. I ate while you were sleeping." 

"But that was probably hours ago." 

"So? Besides, I'm too excited to eat. Are you almost done with your breakfast?"

"Ah, no, I don't wanna run for my life today, Doctor. Not yet, at least." 

"No running for our lives. I've landed us on a nearly deserted planet. All perfectly safe, I assure you. The inhabitants have merely moved on to other planets. Marriage, inter-species mingling. That sort of thing. Pretty much the only beings still left on the planet are the royal family, some servants, a few friends and closer relatives. I've already popped outside to check, too, and it's all safe. Are you finished?"

"What's out there, then?" 

"Hakos. You'll love it." 

She frowned. "I've never heard of it." 

"Well, to be fair, Rose, you wouldn't have heard of it if I'd never mentioned it. Correct?"

"Er, yeah, but- Okay, okay. Hold on." 

She shoved the last bits of toast into her mouth, washed it down with the rest of her tea, and then deposited her dirty dishes in the sink. Within an arm's reach of the Doctor, he reached out to grab her hand and started tugging her down the hall. He was heading not towards the console room, as she'd expected, but towards the general direction of the wardrobe. 

"Lots to do today, Rose, but you need to change first." 

"Why do I need to change if you don't need to change?" she challenged teasingly. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" 

"For one, you can't get them dirty. For two, you'll get sweaty and that's really unattractive. Well, perhaps for most people. You don't smell terrible when you're sweaty, which is just odd. You just smell like clean sweat and heat and…" 

"Okay, you sodding alien, I get it. Cooler clothing. Fine. You don't need to paint a picture."

"I wasn't. I could, but I shan't. Here we are." The Doctor led them into the wardrobe and gestured at the pile of clothing draped over the nearby railing. "You'll want to put all of that on. I have to change, too, actually. You might face the other direction unless you wanna catch a peep." 

"I've seen you naked before. Two different times." 

"I know." His brow cocked. "Did you enjoy the view?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise." 

"You... look human." She shrugged to downplay just how much she had liked it. "Was nice, I guess." 

"Mhmm. I knew it. Rose Tyler, you fancy me, don't you?"

"Oh, shut up and change." She blushed deeply and turned to pick her way through the various things he'd set out for her. Shorts, hard-soled sandals, a red shirt with ties at the shoulders, a... blue one-piece swimsuit? "Ehm, this is gonna seem silly considering what I'm holding, but are we going swimming?"

"We just might be, Rose Tyler." 

There was rustling coming from behind her and she tossed a casual glance over her shoulder while unzipping the jacket she'd thrown on that morning. The Doctor was facing the opposite direction and was making a mess of that small section of the wardrobe. His jacket, trainers, and trousers were strewn about the place. 

He really was taking his clothes off! 

Her body heating in more than embarrassment, Rose spun back around and pulled in a deep breath. It's not like they haven't changed in the same room before... and they did have sex once (twice... thrice... oh, it was the same night so it didn't count as more than once) right after Jack had saved the universe. But that was then and this is now and he didn't seem to want anything more from her now. Pointedly ignoring her curious questions and poorly-veiled advances those first few days after they'd slept together kinda drove home that point. And God, he was so close... and so naked. She sensed him. It wasn't fair. She could quite literally reach out and touch him if she wanted. 

But she won't, because she shouldn't. Apparently. She read that loud and clear. 

To get her mind off whatever else the Doctor was taking off back there, Rose kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her jeans and knickers. She then pulled her swimsuit up to her waist. After one more look to make sure he wasn't watching or anything (and being a tad put out when he most definitely wasn't), she crossed her arms over her chest and pulled off her shirt in one swift go. It took almost no time at all to remove her bra, too, and to have the swimsuit covering her important parts. Her socks came off last. 

"So why did you decide to come to... er-" 

"Hakos." 

"Yeah. Why did you decide to come to Hakos today?"

Rose pulled her shorts on and reached for her top. 

"Because it's your birthday, you silly human. We're celebrating! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I am. Guess I didn't think you'd remember, to be honest." 

"How dare you insinuate I'd forget your birthday!" he cried in an outraged tone. He genuinely seemed upset by what she'd said, too. "Course I remembered, Rose. Huh. Roooose. Have I ever told you your name is such fun to say? You should try it yourself. I'm not lying. Come now. Do it. Say Rose." 

She giggled. "I've had the name my entire life. 's kinda lost its novelty for me by now, I'm afraid. But by all means, continue. Hope you have fun."

"I fully plan to do just that today. Blimey, you're taking forever." 

Rose wheeled around and saw the Doctor standing there, arms crossed and suit back in place, looking as calm as ever as he leaned against a shelf of jumpers. She cocked her head and frowned. Had he been watching her long?

"How did you get dressed again so quickly and why are you back in your suit? I thought you were changing."

"I did change and you're taking your time. It's not my fault if it makes my changing time seem that much faster." 

"Right." She leaned down and pulled her sandals on before straightening up from a crouch. "Am I acceptable? Did I forget anything?"

His eyes roved over her a moment and then he was shaking his head. 

"No. You look perfect." 

He snagged her hand and pulled her out of the room, down the corridor, through the console room, and out the doors. Once there, he let go to lock the ship up and she looked around in wonder. 

"This is amazing and those trees are so pretty. How do they grow like that? The bases are all... twisty and sideways." 

"Fascinating, isn't it?" he asked, beaming at nothing in particular. "I won't bore you with details or scientific explanations today, Rose. I know you don't like them all that much, anyway. Today is all about fun. I chose this planet for you. It's your birthday, after all. Let's explore, shall we?"

She nodded eagerly and was the one to grab his hand this time, pulling him towards what looked like a large body of water in the distance. She was grateful he was gonna go easy on the science stuff today. She wasn’t stupid by any means, but she sometimes felt that way when he really started getting into something.

As they walked, she saw more of those odd curved trees. There were flowers everywhere in every color she could think of, even black and brown ones. She didn't see any people or animals and that was curious. She did see a lot of bugs, though. They kind of looked like bees and butterflies, hovering over the flowers and alighting on the tree bark. The bees were a green color and the Doctor stopped the two of them at one point to gesture at the butterflies. She stared, but nothing happened, and her brows pulled together. 

"What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Just wait. Be patient." 

She waited... and waited... and waited... and then finally, she saw it. The color bled away from the butterfly, leaving its wings clear as glass and its body a pretty red color. She gasped. 

"Wow. How'd it do that?"

"What you saw before was a defense mechanism. We startled the poor loves so they pushed color into their wings to deter any predators from attacking. Vibrant colors- back off. When the danger passed, the butterflies calmed and the color faded. What do you think?"

"I think the TARDIS needs a butterfly room." 

"Ah. Um." The Doctor cautiously looked at her. "Are you serious?"

"No. That'd be ridiculously stupid. Why would I want a room full of butterflies on a ship in the middle of space? The door gets opened, they escape, and go everywhere in the ship. What kind of idiot do you take me for, Doctor?"

"I don't think you're an idiot at all. I'm glad you were joking, though. That would have been a nightmare." 

Rose snorted. "Like you'd ever allow it in the first place. You're so dumb sometimes." 

"Genius here. I'm never dumb." 

"You have your moments. This is one of them, but I'll forgive you if this planet gets any cooler. Deal?"

"Fine," he grumbled and then brightened. "I know just what to show you. Do you feel like going for a swim, Miss Tyler?"

"Are you gonna join me?"

No, she didn't sound hopeful. Well, hopefully she didn't sound hopeful. 

"Of course I am. Swimming on this planet is a rare treat." He offered his arm and she slipped her hand around the crook of his elbow. "Prepare to be amazed, Rose." 

"I'm prepared, but I'm not holding my breath." 

"You might consider it. Maybe trust that I'm about to show you the most amazing thing you've ever seen." 

"Nah. I've seen a lot of amazing things- thanks to you, actually- so you've gotta work pretty hard these days to amaze me." 

She was flirting again and she wasn't too sure whether he really didn't mind it or was completely unaware of it. She'd like to think the former, but it was probably the latter. 

"This, Rose, will blow your mind. You'll be more than amazed. You'll be mindless with awe." 

Been there, done that. 

"Unless you're about to show me a chocolate mountain or dew drops made of diamonds, I really doubt that." 

"Better, Rose. In fact, close your eyes." She stopped walking and he jerked them both forward a step or two more before he realized she wasn't moving. "Oh, come on. Close your eyes. I'll lead you there. I want you to see this without having a preconceived idea of what you're seeing. It'll be like a surprise, like when you open a birthday present and- Rose, just trust me." Unable to deny him, she obediently closed her eyes, prayed he would keep her from falling on her face, and heard him stutter a moment. That was a good sign, right? His hand fell and his fingers laced with hers. "Er, wonderful. This way, then. I've got you... and don't let go of my hand." 

"I wasn't plannin' to." 

"...well, good. We're stepping over a log. Be careful now." Rose toed the log and stepped over, relying on his hand to keep her steady. "That's it. Not too much further. Oh, you're gonna love this. I wish I had a camera." 

"Why? Can't you just remember the very not amazed look on my face whenever you want?"

"I could, but I'd rather have a photo. To prove you were amazed, of course." 

"Of course," she echoed, barely smothering her giggles. She loved messing with him. "And when I'm not amazed, what'll you do?"

"When you are amazed, I'll say I told you so and then probably laugh in your face." 

"So, to clarify, when I'm not amazed, you're gonna apologize for being so sure of yourself and then I am gonna laugh in your face." 

"Not going to happen. See, I know everything. You're going to be amazed, whether you like it or not." 

"Uh huh. If you know everything, what's my shoe size?"

He was silent a moment. "Much smaller than mine, which is as it should be. Can't have you going around wearing clown shoes, can we?" 

"Size fives, oh, wise one." 

"I knew that." She snorted and he squeezed her hand. "Honestly, I did. Seemed a bit unimportant, though, so I didn't say anything." 

"Naturally." 

"Here we are. Stay for a moment. I want to get ready." 

"Ready for what?"

"You'll see." 

She kept her eyes closed, wondering what he could possibly be doing. Seemed to be making a lot of noise for nothing. Was he taking off his jacket? Oh, the memories that sound brought to mind. After countless minutes of standing still, cool fingers hooked underneath the straps of her shirt and she almost opened her eyes. The breath escaped from her lungs as those fingers slid along her shoulder daringly slow… or maybe she was just imagining that. Wishful thinking and all that, right?

"Wh-what're you doing?"

"Getting ready. Relax, Rose. I'm not being untoward, I promise." Oh, please be untoward. She wouldn't complain. "You'll thank me in a moment. You won't wanna take the time to do this and I don't want you running around later in sopping wet clothing." 

"Um, okay. If you say so." 

He quickly rid her of her shirt and shorts, something she was sure she'd remember long after her hair had grayed and her skin had wrinkled. It was a wonderful feeling, if she was being honest. Not as good as the last time he'd done it, but still pretty marvelous. She wouldn't question why he hadn't simply told her to do it herself. 

Couldn't bring herself to, because then he might stop.

Those same wonderful fingers gently removed her sandals and she had to force her breathing to stay even. She had a gorgeous alien stripping her clothes off- again- and she couldn't even watch this time, because he wanted her to keep her eyes closed and she usually did whatever he asked. Sometimes. Maybe.

"There we are. You're all ready now. I can't believe how flimsy that shirt is. I could have sworn it was much thicker back on the ship, but it almost feels gauzy. Huh. Odd. Well, anyway, Rose, open your eyes." 

When she did, his lips were already quirked up and she fully intended to make a comment. That is, until she looked around and her mouth fell open. 

"But... what? How? Is that the sky or...?"

"It's exactly what it looks like. Rose, welcome to the famed waterways of Hakos. All across the planet, wherever water might settle, the sky and water switch so that-" 

"The sky's on land and the water's in the sky," she said in wonder, for a moment forgetting a very handsome half-naked Time Lord stood in front of her. "Oh, my God. It's beautiful." 

"Yes. You should see it when it storms. It's breathtaking. Now, what am I forgetting? Hmm. What is it? Oh. Oh, yes." He cleared his throat rather obnoxiously. "I told you so. Ha. Hahahahaha. Hahaha." 

"That couldn't be classified as a real laugh, you know. All you did was repeat ha over and over again." 

He shrugged. "Worked for me. Would you like me to muster a real one for you?"

"Not particularly." Her eyes swept over the ebbing water above them and then down to the cloud-studded sky at their feet. "Can we really swim in it? Is that possible or were you havin' me on just now? 'cause I gotta tell ya, if I put on a suit for nothin,' I'm not gonna be happy."

His eyes turned to her, moving across her face and dipping to her toes before coming back to her eyes. His lips curled into an adorable smile. 

"You want to go swimming?"

"Yeah." 

"Well, then." He grinned and pulled her into his arms. She automatically tilted her face up to his and his smile softened. "All you had to do was ask." 

"But how-" 

And then he was hefting her up and throwing her above his head. An odd weightlessness came over her body as he did so and she screamed. The next thing she knew, she was falling head first into warm water and kicking up- no, down- oh, hell, she didn’t know which way she was going. A body landed next to her and she gasped in air once she broke the surface of the water. The Doctor surfaced a moment later, sputtering and grinning like a fool. 

"Exceptional, isn't it?" he yelled excitedly. "You were amazed. Are amazed. Admit it. I want to hear you say it." 

"I'll admit it. Yes, I'm totally and completely amazed." She looked down at the sky below them and frowned. "Um, shouldn't the blood be rushing to my head or something?"

"Nah. You'll be fine." 

"Okay. How do we get out?"

"You want out already?"

She tried to ignore the pouty set to his lips. She really did... and utterly failed. 

"Kinda. I wanna see if I can get in on my own. And I need to know in case I have to, um, go. You know." 

"Ah." His expression cleared. "I should have asked before. Do you have to, er, duck behind a tree? I'll not have you peeing next to me, Rose. Some bad habits I can deal with for life, but that is not one of them." 

She rolled her eyes, though that 'for life' bit did make her belly flutter.

"I don't have to go yet, but I might in the future. How do we get out?"

"Well, pull your head under and pop those legs out of the water. You'll float down." 

"I'll... float down." 

Before she could ask if he was insane, he dove under and stuck his ankles out of the water. Quickly, more and more of his body appeared and he waved as he drifted up- no, definitely down- no, God, wherever he was drifting off to.

"Coming, Rose?"

"Er, yeah." 

She was surprised how easy it was. Once back on dry land, the Doctor hurried off to the edge of the sky and bounced on his heels while she followed behind him. She eagerly followed his line of sight and sighed in wonder. 

"Wow... So that's the sky." 

"Yes. Do you want to touch a cloud? Ooh, that's a phrase no one's likely ever said to you before. I let you touch a cloud on your birthday. Best present ever, I should think." He looked pleased again, knelt down on the grass, and grabbed her hand, lightly tugging on it. "How 'bout it, Miss Tyler?"

"I can actually touch a cloud and feel it? Not like this," she said, waving her free hand around in the air in front of her. "Right?"

"Yes. You can touch it. Do you want to?"

"Yes, please." Crouching beside him, she struggled in vain to ignore his thigh brushing against hers and instead watched him guide her hand to a passing cloud. It was more than amazing or exceptional. It was absolutely, perfectly, marvelously astounding. "I'm touching a bloody cloud. Like, actually touching it."

The feeling was indescribable, like waving her hand around in front of her, but not. It was just… somehow more. 

"You are. Ready to get back in yet? You have gooseflesh." 

It only got worse when he dragged his fingertip up her arm. 

"Yeah. How?"

He stood and grinned. "Easy. Jump into the sky." 

"...What?"

"Jump into the sky. You can watch me if you want, but make sure you don't jump in the same patch of sky I choose. As lovely as your legs are, I'd hate to get knocked out because they connected with the top of my skull." 

"Okay. Yeah, I, uh... Jump into the sky?"

He gave her a quick smile and backed up a few steps. He then took off running and jumped into the sky while holding his legs to his chest, staying suspended like that for a few seconds before being flung upwards like a slingshot and landing in the water above them. Water splashed down, raining on the drifting clouds, and she looked between the sky and the rippling water above. She only remembered to breathe and close her mouth when he popped through the surface and cupped his hands around his face. 

"Come on, Rose. Jump into the sky. It won't hurt you." 

"Okay," she called nervously. She could do this. The sky wasn't going to randomly swallow her up and let her float off for the rest of eternity. The Doctor wouldn't have brought her here if there was a chance of that happening. "Give me a second, yeah?"

He had landed in the water. She would, too. It only made sense. And where had all her bravery gone? She'd faced tons of monstrous things- hell, she'd even faced the Doctor more than once when he was in a terrible temper- and a little bit of sky was scaring her? Pfft. She could do this. Right? 

A hand suddenly caught hers and she jumped. The Doctor's brows were drawn together.

"Rose?"

"Sorry. Just telling myself how silly I'm being. You didn't have to get out." 

"It's not like the sky's going to eat you up." He studied her a long moment and raised his brows at whatever he saw. He said, "Ah, I see," and then abruptly grinned. "Wanna jump together?"

Instant relief.

"Sure. Might as well." 

"Good. Rose Tyler, you're comin' with me." 

He wrapped her up in his arms in a tight hug and, without warning, stepped sideways off the edge of land. She 'landed' on her back and they stayed there in the air, Rose lying in his arms and grinning stupidly up at him, for a few moments. When they started ricocheting upwards, she couldn't quite contain a yell into his chest and he laughed. 

It wasn't a graceful “landing” for her. She got water in her nose and her hair was plastered over her face, making it nearly impossible to breathe at first, but the Doctor was still holding her and that made it worth it. He continued treading water, Rose's legs pulled up a little to give him room to move, and helped push back her hair. He kept chuckling at the embarrassing noises she was making and she scowled his way, which only made him laugh loudly. See him try to breathe and talk through a curtain of wet hair. He wouldn't find it funny, she'd bet. 

"'s not funny. Quit laughin' at me." 

"I can't help it. You sounded like a disgruntled puppy just now. It was quite cute." 

"You just compared me to a dog. Couldn't you have said I sounded like a kitten or something?"

"I like dogs and I don't like cats. You know that. If I had likened you to a cat, I would have been insulting you and I would never do that. Oh, there you are. I can see your eyes again." 

"Thanks. This place... is great, Doctor. Why haven't you brought me here before?"

"Not everyday is your birthday, Rose. Besides, I can't spoil you too much or you'll turn into one of those naggy, whiny women I really cannot stand. Wouldn't like you as much that way, I think." 

"Ugh. What if I ever be-"

"Don't even say it. I like my Rose Tyler just the way she is now. Although we might have to discuss your affinity for cluttering up the media room shelves with 'romcoms,' whatever the devil those are. And you could survive with less odorous nail varnishes. Don't get me wrong. Your toenails look adorable with that shade of blue- and you might consider painting your fingernails sometime, Rose, because it's odd you paint one and not the other- but the stink rising from the bottle when you begin to paint them is enough to singe my nose hairs and you should know it takes a lot to do that. Superior biology and all that. I can withstand a lot, but not that… toxic… stuff. Er, what were we talking about again?" 

"You have nose hairs?"

"Is that truly what you decided to focus on? Of course I have nose hairs. So do you, you silly human. Why are aliens so odd?"

"You tell me, Time Lord." 

"Oh, because you think I'm the alien out of the two of us, Human? I think not. I've been alive longer so, by default, you naturally take the role of alien." 

"And how does that make sense to you? Didn’t you say when I first met you that you’re an alien?”

Maybe if she kept him talking, he wouldn't notice he was still keeping them both afloat... and that her groin was currently, inappropriately, dangerously close to his groin. Did he not realize one of his hands was still holding her 'round the waist? Did she really care if he did or not?

"I only said that ’cause you didn’t know any better at the time. However, now I’m telling you I was here first and my people were just like me. Er, basically. My race is older than yours so I'm the normal one. You're the alien." 

"I'm not an alien. You're the one with the strange everything going on inside. I am the normal one. You are an alien. Mum certainly thinks so and she'd know. She's known a few men here and there. Think she knows what's normal." 

"I beg to differ. About most of that, actually." 

"Beg to differ, agree to differ. It won't change my mind, though it would be fun to watch." 

"You're so witty. Have I ever told you that?"

"Maybe." They shared a smile and then the Doctor finally let her go, much to her chagrin. He swam backwards and sank beneath the water without warning. She tread water a moment before circling around to see where he was, but the water was a bit too murky to make out anything. He still hadn't surfaced after a minute and a half- she'd counted in her head- and she started getting worried. "Doctor?" Another thirty-seven seconds passed and she circled around again. "This isn't funny. Where are you?"

Did he have gills? No. No, that was silly. She'd definitely have noticed. Was he in trouble down there? Had he gotten out without her noticing? Ooh, he better not have left her in here alone or she was gonna slap him. It'd be worse than her mum's. No, it'd be the slap of the ages, Rose Tyler style. 

"Looking for me?"

She whirled around, the water eddying around her, and she glared at the man cockily smirking at her. 

"Yeah, I was. I thought you were drowning or something. I even briefly- only very briefly, mind you- entertained the thought that you might have gills." She paused and looked him over, head to mid-chest. She most definitely did not linger anywhere... except maybe a little. "You don't have gills anywhere, do you?" 

"What?" A loud bark of laughter escaped him, but he quickly sobered enough to simply be grinning ear to ear. "No, Rose, I don't have gills." 

"Good. Where were you? I was worried. Thought you might've gotten yourself in trouble somehow." 

"I was swimming. You should try it." 

"Can you actually see anything down there?"

"Perfectly, yes. Also don't need to surface for air too often, which makes swimming doubly fun. Well, makes all water activities doubly fun." 

So now her mind had gone to that naughty place where she, random bodies of water, the Doctor's superior body skills, and the names of a few deities were part of a very inappropriate daydream. Yeah, that would probably keep her up later tonight. Perfect. Thank you, Doctor. It's not like she needs sleep or anything... and why was she complaining?

"That's impressive," she said belatedly and his eyes came back to hers. "Uhm, what's below us, then?"

"The usual. Swimming creatures, various plant-like things, trees, I think I saw a cave that way," he said, nodding in a direction behind her. "And, of course, the outer atmosphere of the planet, but I suggest you avoid that area. I even saw some dogfish when I was down there." 

"Dogfish, like on Earth? Like sharks?" 

"No, I mean like-" There was the sound of splashing and something hit her hair and the back of her neck as the water moved around them. The Doctor smiled and she slowly turned to see a creature swimming around them. "Like dogs. This breed is the Chana Pucha."

Rose giggled. "Like pooch?" 

"I've never before made that connection. Well done. No, I mean like the Puchamaka. The Puchamaka was the first kind of dogfish the waters of Hakos ever had." 

"Really?"

"Yes. It's cute, right?"

Rose eyed the dogfish lazily swimming around them, its fin-like tail smacking against the Doctor every time it got close enough to him. It kinda looked like a leg-less Xoloitzcuintle, but with, um, scales instead of fur. She reached out to pet it and the Doctor caught her wrist, smoothly twisting his hand around until he was holding hers. 

"Don't touch it, Rose. It may look cute and it's certainly acting friendly with me, but it can be vicious."

"Thanks for the warning. Um, so what's it doing with its tail... thing?"

"Showing affection." He gave her a pleased smile. "I've always considered myself a dog man, you know. I suppose it senses that."

"Makes sense." 

"Mmm. Oh, I know! Rose, you want a dogfish you can pet?" he asked eagerly and she nodded. "Great. Give me a few minutes to find just the one I want. Stay here... and try to keep that one away from you." 

He was gone before she could protest. She eyed the circling Chana Pucha distrustfully until it sank below the water and, judging by the direction of the rippling water, headed after the Doctor. She shook her head and eased onto her back. She had no idea how long she floated along aimlessly, but it didn't seem too long had passed when something distinctly not-Time-Lord-like nudged her toes.

She let out an ear-piercing shriek and flailed around, trying to get away, and only succeeded in dipping below the water. She did not like water, especially natural water where anything could be swimming right below, possibly waiting to snatch her up for dinner. 

The Doctor popped through the surface, his arm on her shoulder, and pulled her nose above the water line. He looked immensely worried.

"What the hell was that?" she shrieked.

"Why are you panicking, Rose? What happened?"

"Something touched me!" 

"Yes, the dogfish did. You've probably frightened her." 

"Jeez. Sorry, Doctor, but it frightened me. Thought it might be trying to... Well, anyways." 

"There's nothing aquatic in this water that would like to eat you. Maybe maul you a little bit, in the case of our Chana Pucha friend, but that's it." He briefly straightened and looked down into the water. "Oh, there she is. Now don't be scared when you see her, Rose. She's, as some would say, a gentle giant. Completely harmless, I promise." 

"I'm terrified." 

"Are you being sarcastic? I literally cannot tell." 

"A bit, yeah." 

Something began rising from the depths of the water and brushing against the entire left side of her body. Her eyes widened, locking on the Doctor's, and he sniggered at her response. 

"I told you, Rose. Gentle giant. I found you the Pucha Equa. She's absolutely lovable, the 'teddy bear' of Hakosian underwater creatures."

The Pucha Equa finally poked its head out of the water and Rose's mouth went dry. 

"Doctor, that's nothing like a dog. Sure it's not some horsefish or something?"

"A horsefish would just look absurdly funny. Really," he scoffed. "Horsefish indeed." 

"I could ride that thing like a horse and it wouldn't feel any different," she whispered to him, eyes still on the lazily floating behemoth. "Sure it's safe?"

"She's a giant baby, Rose. Reminds me of the Mertoga unique to the Arkron System." He forcibly held her hand on the creature's snout and she swore she heard the thing grumble with pleasure. She was sure that was a good sign. "See? She's happy. Keep petting her. I really should take you to see the Mertoga now that I think of it. I bet you'd want to bring one back to the TARDIS by the end of the day, which I would never allow, but it would be amusing watching you try to convince me it'd be a good idea. I wouldn't allow it, though. Remember that." 

"Are they any less frightening than this?"

"How can you think she's frightening?" he cooed at the creature, stroking underneath the dogfish's elongated jaw. One bite and half the Doctor's arm would be gone. "You don't listen to her, Poochie. You're just a big baby wanting some love, aren't you? Aren't you, girl?"

"Doctor, you're baby-talking a fish." 

"She's more than a fish, Rose Tyler. Look into her eyes and tell me she's just a fish to you! I demand you do it." 

Rose rolled her eyes and then looked into the thing's eyes. The longer she looked, the more she felt the urge to cling to the damn thing and give it a big hug. She looked away, but it honest-to-God snuffled and she unwillingly looked back. Gave the phrase 'puppy dog eyes' a new meaning, huh? At last, she could no longer hold out and stroked the top of its scaly head.

"Oh, you're just so..." She sighed. "You're precious... Look at you. Can't believe I thought you weren't cute." 

"Told you. She's absolutely cuddly."

"You can't have one," she said while playfully elbowing him. "We don't have the room for one on board and you're not creating a pool for that purpose alone. Don't even think about it." 

"We already have a few pools and we rarely use any of them! Just think about it, Rose. If we had one of our own Pucha Equa, we could stare into the puppy eyes as long as we wanted. You can't say the idea doesn't appeal to you." 

"Doctor, no. This is Arthur all over again. You're not getting one." 

"But Rose, just- I would have kept that horse if I'd been able to, regardless of what you said... Maybe. Just think about it. It's a Pucha Equa! Look at her. She's practically begging you to say she can come along with us." 

"No, you're not keeping her. For all you know, she's got a family down there. A man, babies, friends, a home. You're not keeping her." 

"You had a man, friends, and a home and I kept you. Why can't I keep her?"

"Doctor," she laughed, exasperated. Like a kid in a candy store begging for one more bag of sweets, he was. "You're not keeping her and you didn't keep me. I decided to come." 

"Maybe she's decided she wants to come, too." 

"Maybe she thinks you're being ridiculous for continuing to beg." The dogfish butted her back with its head and she giggled as she went floating through the water, bumping into one side of the Doctor's chest. "Look at her. She wouldn't have nearly enough room if she came with us. Also, as I said, she probably has a whole life down there. It's not fair to think about uprooting her like that." 

"But what if she doesn't have a life down there? What if she's a lonely Pucha Equa floating through the water and she's hoping we'll give her a better life?"

Well, that sounded a bit similar to something she'd once overheard him saying to Jack about her.

"Are we still talking about the fish?" 

"...Yes." 

Rose chuckled. "Alright. No! I didn't mean you could keep her. What would you even do with her on board? I think we both know how busy you are all the time and she'd be sad if you forgot about her. She'd need feeding, love, attention, maybe someone to play with. You'd need to walk- er, I mean exercise her. Maybe. I don't think you'd be able to put in all that time." 

"Yeah, but you sleep at least eight hours a night, Rose!" His bottom lip was most adorably poking out in a little pouting move that made her want to give in something fierce. "I get bored when you sleep and a Pucha Equa doesn't need that much attention a day. Just a few hours- three tops!- and she's happy. And I've wanted some version of a Pucha since I was one-hundred!" 

"You've gone bonkers, haven't you? Even if I were to miraculously-" The dogfish butted her again, once more knocking her into the Doctor, and his arms automatically went around her. "Okay, I think someone wants a little attention. The answer's no. You can't uproot that poor thing from its planet just because you get bored a couple hours each day. Take up a new hobby. Work out or something." 

"I don't need to work out and it's absolutely pointless to try 'cause nothing'll come of it. I've read every single book on the TARDIS at least once since I met you and you know we have a lot of books, photo albums from Earth are boring 'cause they don't move or anything cool, I've already watched every last one of our movies- except your blasted 'romcoms' because I absolutely refuse to- multiple times, I'm tired of trying to learn to crochet simply for your amusement, and I crave love and attention, too!" Well, she could give him that... if he'd just ask. "She wants to come with us. Look at her. She's practically begging you." 

"She is not. Don't be absurd." 

"Rose, look at her. She's begging. She keeps nosing- er, snouting?- you and everything. If that's not begging, I don't know what is." 

She laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of this entire conversation. 

"If you crave love and attention, get a dog or something. Not a giant dogfish that likely has a good life here already." 

"But I want her." 

"People don't usually tell you no, do they?"

She knew the answer to that, but felt the need to point it out all the same. He shrugged. 

"Rarely. I don't listen when it's not important, at any rate. Where's the fun in that? Rose, she's begging. Look at her." 

She shook her head and turned around in his arms- he was still holding her. Would it be bad to maybe not point it out at all? Would it be worse to maybe turn back and hug him? And so what if her legs accidentally wrapped around his hips as she did it? That wouldn't be too bad, would it? 

She was taken aback when her eyes traveled up and up until she was looking at the Pucha Equa's face. 

The dogfish was nearly half out of water, floating vertically and swaying slightly from left to right. Her eyes bugged at the sight and the little nubs she thought might possibly be a fin version of paws clapped together. 

"You have got to be kidding me." 

"Nope. She wants to come with us. Look at that face. She's begging you, Rose. See? Good girl, Poochie. Good trick."

"But... You set this whole thing up," she accused, eyes narrowing, and turned back in his arms. He didn't even blink. "You wanted one and found one without an established life when you were below earlier, didn't you? You knew I wouldn't be able to refuse that little display, didn't you?"

He grinned excitedly. "Was that a yes?"

"...you are in so much trouble." 

"And what is a weak little human going to do to a superior Time Lord, huh?"

"I'll think of something. Just you wait." Rose sighed and tried not to smile. He was still holding her. "Where are you even going to put her and how are you going to get her there, hmm? Did you think of that? Bet you didn't." 

"Already taken care of." Her eyes narrowed the rest of the way, forming little slits, and he finally looked a touch contrite. "I might have been thinking about this last night... Planning... More like scheming. Maybe. But never did I think I’d actually get a Pucha Equa. Maybe something a tad smaller.”

"Oh, that's it." 

Rose clutched his shoulders, raised up as much as she could, and used her weight to shove him below the water. His arms hooked around her hips and pulled her down with him. He easily ignored her flailing, his nose pressing into her abdomen and tickling her. She kicked away from him and surfaced moments before he did, both of them laughing and trying to dunk the other. That quickly devolved into a splash fight that neither of them had much of a hope to win, the dogfish racing around them as fast as the thing could and occasionally letting out a bark-like sound that reminded her of a seal. 

The Doctor, abruptly giving up the splash fight, dove into the water. Rose didn't risk searching for any telltale ripples and instead swam for the dogfish, thinking she might have a bit of an advantage if she was close enough to her. Unfortunately, she didn't make it. The Doctor popped out of the water, hefted her up, and sent both of them into the water, her body submerging first. She came up sputtering and unwillingly laughing, splashing him in the face when she caught him laughing uproariously. 

"Truce," he cried and she prepared to splash him again. "No, truce! Come on, Rose. Let's get out. It's almost lunch time and I have something planned for us." 

"You're just afraid I'll get my revenge." 

"That, too. Come on. We'll return for her later." 

She patted the dogfish one more time, shot a completely faked nasty look at the Doctor, and upended herself in the water. She landed back on solid ground about the same time he did and reached for her clothes. They'd be damp until they returned to the TARDIS, but she was willing to happily put up with that if this day somehow managed to get any better than it was already. 

"So what's this something you have planned for us?"

"It's a surprise. Obviously. Otherwise, I would have told you what it was. That really was a silly question, Rose." 

"Can't blame a girl for trying." 

"That's one of the things I love about you. Always curious, you are. Hand me my shirt?"

"Wha’?" She pulled her eyes from his lower belly and followed the line of his finger, eyes alighting on the messily-folded button-up next to her shoes. "Oh. Right. Sorry. Here. I was, uh, trying to figure out what you might have planned." 

"Oh, you may as well give up. You won't figure it out."

"Normally, I'd argue with you, but you have proven yourself correct once today. Best not risk a second time. The world might end." He grinned, his nose scrunching this time, and she was physically incapable of stopping her next words from tripping off her tongue. "Aww. Imagine, a big bad Time Lord looking adorable." 

"I'm always adorable," he quipped. "That's one of the things you love about me. I know everything, remember?"

"No, you don't." 

"I do." 

"You don't, I promise." 

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I most assuredly do, Rose Tyler." 

"Okay. We've been through this once before and I'm doing it again. What's my clothing size?"

"At least two sizes smaller than what you seem to think it is. Although, you do own a few pieces of clothing that actually fit your body the way they're supposed to. Which is, to say-" He flashed a mischievous smile her way. "Like a glove." 

His hands wove in the shape of an hourglass and Rose stared at him in shock until words – albeit broken, nonsensical words – finally came to mind. 

“Wha- B-but-”

“Speechless. Excellent.” Rose gawped at him, watching him stroll away, and had no idea what to make of that. The Doctor paused at the crest of a hill and looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Yeah. C-coming." 

She yanked her shorts on, grabbed her sandals up, and hurried to his side as he started walking again. 

"You're going to love this. And don't worry about your clothing. These people don't stand on ceremony."

"Do you hear music?"

"Mhmm. Oh, I can't keep it a secret a moment longer. It's been killing me to keep it quiet all morning." He looked down at her, excited grin on his lips. "Rose! We're having our meal with the Hakosian royal court. Isn't that brilliant?"

"How in the world did you manage to set that up?"

"You would say I'm a bit of... an ambassador of sorts. Er, better, close family friend. Hard not to be with my history here... The hows and huhs don't matter. Frickash and Amera were more than excited to hear we were visiting. They're even serving human-friendly food."

"Does that mean you usually eat what they do when you visit, then?" He did this little noddy-shruggy thing and she frowned. "What all can you eat?"

"Oh, lots of things. Hello, Emeresh!"

"Lord Doctor," a guard... thing replied. It looked vaguely human. Kinda. "Lady Human."

"Rose," the Doctor corrected. "Human is merely her species, not her name."

"I bow in apology." And he did, to Rose’s surprise. "Lord Doctor. Lady Rose. Kaunra will escort you."

"Ah." He got a big smile on his face. "How is she doing, then? Large family yet?"

"Kaunra survives, as do her many young. Thank you for asking."

Rose stayed silent as a woman- she thinks- arrived and led them further into the royal... well, rock. The Doctor bumped her shoulder and she looked up at him. 

"I know what you're thinking, but this is more than a big, hollow rock to them. It's the founding house, the first residence of the very first royal family. Good people, they were. This has been passed down the last twelve centuries, you know. They're rather proud of it so don't say anything. Don't wanna accidentally insult them."

"Okay. What do you mean the firsts were good people?"

"Might've met every generation. TARDIS, remember? I got curious one day. Partially explains why they consider me a close family friend. They've all known me! Bit of a legend with them, in fact. The Lord Doctor," he said proudly. "Well, you'll probably become something of a legend, too, now. Simply by association. Oh! There's another present for you! I helped you touch a cloud, you swam in the sky, I got us a pet Pucha Equa, and I made you into a legend. Best birthday presents ever."

"Yes, your gifts will rival everyone else's." They really would. "Are you happy now?"

"And?" he prompted. "I feel like there's more coming. I'll wait patiently."

"And there's no possible way I could ever have a better birthday. Happier?"

"Marginally. I'd like to see anyone outdo me." He pointed at his chest. "Time Lord. Tough act to follow, I'm afraid."

"You are so full of yourself," Rose giggled. "Lord, are you expecting me to say you're the greatest man I've ever met and that I would be positively lost and miserable without you?"

"Oh, now that would make me happiest of all! Do say it, will you? I'd like to hear all of that without a sarcastic edge to it. Word for word. Please and thank you."

Rose could only blink. Kaunra paused to the left of a doorway ahead and demurely said, "Lord Doctor and Lady Rose."

"I thought her name was Human."

The Doctor grinned at her and she shook away her question. 

"Human," Rose whispered while he led her into the room. “Jeez.”

Two beings stood, one inclining its head. Rose looked to the Doctor for direction. 

"Nod in return." Rose did and the Doctor gestured for her to sit on one end of a smooth, flat-topped rock as he took his own seat on the stony bench. "Nice to see you again, Frickash and Amera."

"We're much honored. The Lady Rose is of your kind?"

"No. Rose is human. She is my companion."

"Lord Doctor!" One of the beings looked surprised. Maybe. "You address her so informally."

"A companion?" the maybe female one asked. "Have you both many young, Lord Doctor?"

Rose blushed. 

"None yet, Frickash."

Well, she'd been wrong. That was the king of- What? She looked at the Doctor, but he was smiling and listening to definitely the female one. 

"By Hakosian standards, she looks well-formed enough to breed you many young. You are lucky. Not many of us are as gifted."

He laughed! Was he enjoying this? 

"Amera desired more than twenty children, Lord Doctor." TWENTY!!! Rose nearly passed out at the thought. "You must forgive her, Lady Rose."

"I, er, uh-"

"Yes, of course she will," the Doctor smoothly interrupted. "Unfortunately, humans do not often breed twenty or more children in a lifetime, though I'm sure Rose'll try her best." 

He tried and failed to rub the smile from his lips and she had the urge to kick him under the rock table. 

"Like hell I will," she muttered into his ear. 

"Rose, now is not the time for that," he replied in a loud whisper, making her blush again. "Apologies. Rather inappropriate statement, but, uh, nothing to concern yourselves with. How are your young, Amera?"

"They survive. Thank you."

"That's very good to hear. Rose, would you like some pocopa?"

"Pocopa is what, exactly?"

"A very tasty beverage. You need to try it.” She shrugged and he poured a bit into both of their cups. “So Frickash, would you tell me something?"

"You may inquire after anything."

"Any more difficulties with the shaha?"

"He has been subdued since your last leave of us. Many thanks for your aid."

"None of that. Rose, you might be interested to know the shaha is- well, you'd call him a medicine man. No, perhaps more of a witch doctor. It's incredible watching him work, though I don't think I'll take you 'round to see him. Bit tetchy, that one."

"The way you speak so often to your companion, you must value her very much." That was definitely the male one. Frickash, right? "Does she value you in return?"

To her astonishment, the Doctor awkwardly fidgeted and then smiled tightly. 

"I would certainly hope so."

Rose's brows pulled down. "Well, of course I do. Left my world behind again and again to be with you. Why wouldn't you think I do?"

"She left behind her own planet for you, Lord Doctor? She must value you more than anything," the woman- Amera was her name!- said. "It is- how would you say?- brilllllliant."

Rose giggled at the exaggerated tongue roll and the Doctor cleared his throat. 

"Right, then. Oh, food! That's very good. I was worried Rose would get hungry. We've been swimming, you see."

"That is working oneself within the water, is it so?"

"Yes. It's a lot of fun. I keep telling you two to try."

"We could never. Were the waters to your liking?"

"Rose loved them. We met a stray Pucha Equa. Not seen that happen before."

She sent a confused look at the Doctor. Hadn't he planned to find one without a life down- up- there?

"A stray? What is the meaning of that?"

"An undomesticated Pucha Equa. No family. It's never happened that I've seen. Plenty of times with other species of Pucha, sure, but not an Equa.”

"Perhaps it was the will of the Puchamaka."

"The same Puchamaka that's been extinct- er, departed- for three centuries now?"

"Simply because one is gone does not mean others cannot still follow their will."

Perhaps noting she had something to say, the Doctor leaned down and watched her out the corner of his eye. 

"Hope he wasn't tiny. Can you imagine, a chihuahua-fish ruling the waterways?" Rose whispered quietly into his shoulder. His lips curled up at the corners and he bit the inside of his cheeks to keep the smile from growing. "And anyway, Puchamaka as fish god? Sounds kinda fishy to me."

"I agree," he said through a subdued snicker and addressed Frickash. "So it was the will of the Puchamaka that this specific Pucha Equa did not settle down? That's- Rose, please stop smiling like that." He was starting to smile again despite his efforts not to. "It's making it very hard to think. Bit of a fish story we're dealing with here and I'm trying-"

Rose tittered behind her hand. It took the Doctor a moment to realize what he'd just said and then he laughed outright. The Hakosian king and queen watched them in interest. 

"Sorry. I'm very sorry. We were talking about the Puchamaka? Well, if something stinks, Doctor, maybe you should-" She giggled. "Maybe you should fish for some answers."

He covered his mouth with a hand and laughed again. She joined him, rubbing under her nose and looking at the table. They met each other's eyes right as the laughter started dying down and both of them laughed some more. Eventually, the Doctor held up a hand and gasped out an apology. 

"Sorry. I'm sorry. Excuse us. Prone to random bouts of laughter, we are. I apologize. Where were we?"

"The Puchamaka's will."

"Ah, yes." The Doctor swallowed a few times and cleared his throat, looking like he very much wanted to at least chuckle. "Yes, well, it seems a bit fantastic. Why would the-" He briefly bit his lip and Rose rubbed her lips. "Why would the Puchamaka want this Pucha Equa to be without a home and life?"

"Perhaps the Puchamaka had other plans for the Pucha Equa's life."

"Rose, your food is getting cold. You should eat. Yes, perhaps the Puchamaka did, Amera. Just perhaps."

She'd completely disregarded her food. She couldn't actually remember when they'd been served. Not really. And... what exactly was it? She poked at some lump with a two-pronged thing that looked more like a deadly weapon than a utensil and then peeked at the Doctor, who was cutting the same lump on his plate that she'd just poked on hers. Okay, so she had to cut it. Best just copy him. He seemed to know what to do. 

"I am interested to hear how you and your companion swim," Frickash commented while she busied herself with attempting to cut a lump with her designated deadly weapon. "Our people do not do such a thing."

"Ah, er, well, you just get in the water. We didn't- that is, she didn't actually do much swimming. Took it easy today. What we-"

"Is she breeding for you?" Amera asked brightly. "I have been told women of other species must- what are the words?- be careful? during a breeding period."

"Ehm, no. Not breeding. Least, I don't think." The Doctor stabbed an odd orange-colored mound and met Amera's startled gaze. Probably shouldn't copy that move. And what was that about? "Sorry. No, today, we were more like playing."

"Playing in the water?" Frickash asked, eyes wide in interest. "Much like young would on land?"

"No. Uh, we- Rose, help?"

"We splashed and dunked each other underwater," she remarked. Judging by the king and queen's looks, she didn't really help them understand. "In a playful way?"

"We don't try to drown each other," the Doctor rushed to explain. "It's a game. It's fun."

"Are you not worried your companion may breathe in water? Can humans breathe water?"

"Um, no, we can't. He was careful with me." Rose frowned at the Doctor. "Swimming, Doctor?"

"Er, yes. Swimming. You propel yourself through the water using your arms and legs. Very fun. Good exercise."

"Even though you don't need to exercise."

"Quite right I don't, Rose. It's still enjoyable sometimes."

"Unless you're a human and you have to in order to keep from getting fat."

The Doctor turned confused eyes her way. "Surely you don't have to work out. You're nowhere close to fat."

"That's because I work out. One week and these hips- you don't even want to imagine it. It's not pretty."

"Your hips are shapely and I can't imagine anything- much less a week- would change that. You don't need to exercise. How often do you?"

"Nearly everyday."

He looked shocked. "You do not."

"I do. The TARDIS added a workout room right off my bedroom months ago. Before that, I used to visit the one two corridors off from my room. Do it right between waking up and showering 'fore breakfast."

"But why? I don't understand."

"I don't want to get fat so I work out. If I didn't, I would get fat. Understand now?"

"You'd look wonderful no matter what," he said and smiled. "Now eat." 

"Er, right." 

Charmer, this one was. Not that she was complaining. Not. At. All. Had he been looking at her hips lately? The Doctor speared a weird yellowish rectangle and popped it into his mouth. Rose copied him. Did he chew or swallow that whole? She tentatively bit down on it and made a face. Eww. No. Swallow it whole. Don't chew. Never chew.

"I should have asked this morning," the Doctor murmured, brows furrowed. Rose tried not to make another face at him as she chewed a... green pile of mush. "Rose, was there anything specific you wished to do today? Perhaps visit anyone in particular?"

"I can always see Mum whenever. I'm having fun. Thanks, though, for asking." She tried to ignore the part of her that felt guilty about that. Ever since her mum had found and lost another universe's Pete Tyler, she'd been decidedly unhappy. Her mum had taken to going out more and she felt guilty about that, but there was nothing she could do. Maybe she should go visit her today, after all. "Um, actually, maybe we could stop by her place sometime soon. I'm worried about her." 

"Alright. No one else you wanted to see?"

Rose frowned. "Well, no. Who else is there to see? Shareen might wanna see me at some point, but not for a while. She just moved in with another guy so there's gonna be about a month where she drops off the face of the Earth and then she'll get sick and tired of things, break up, move out, and start all over again. I'll just catch her in a month. The girls all have really busy lives and catch-up time is better over a long dinner. John... well, he barely has time to spend with Louis, let alone me." 

"Really? There's no one else?"

"Doctor, what're you fishin' for?" She grinned, her tongue drifting to the corner of her mouth, and his mouth went slack as his eyes followed the movement. "Huh? No comment? I'm surprised." 

"Silly Rose." 

"Amera," Frickash suddenly spoke. "Are you enjoying your meal?"

"It is sufficiently appetizing. Thank you, Frickash." 

The Doctor's lips curled up and Rose sent him a questioning look. He leaned over and turned his mouth into her neck, his lips brushing the hair hanging down and making her shiver against her will. 

"They are copying what they believe are our customary relational interactions." 

"Uh, wh-why?"

"To welcome you, I'd suppose. Hakosian couples don't normally single each other out like that. They talk, sure, but not pointedly, like using each other's names and directing their words only at their partner." 

"Really? I got the king and queen to do something?"

"Well, I should think we both did." 

"Yeah. Guess so. That's kinda sweet." 

"It is," he agreed and unfortunately leaned back into his own seat. "Amera, Rose was just telling me how remarkable your dress is." 

"Thank you, Lady Rose. It is a personal gift from Queen Feras of Galacta Spool Tayn. We are quite close." 

"It's pretty." 

Amera bowed her head. "Lord Doctor, are you not hungering today?" 

"Er." He glanced at Rose's half-eaten food and shrugged. "Not really. I think Rose and I are too excited to eat. Today marks her twenty-fifth year of birth." 

"And she has no young yet? Are you waiting for something, Lord Doctor?"

"Amera." Frickash slightly turned to his wife and the Doctor was back to grinning. "Perhaps humans participate in different customs than we do."

"I had not considered such a thing, Frickash. I hope I was not insulting, Lady Rose." 

"'s alright. It's not unheard of for girls younger than me to have, er, young. I'm waiting for... Not quite ready to... Well, I mean, haven't... Anyways." She hesitantly peeked at the Doctor, who was trying to cram enough food in his mouth to keep from laughing. "Doctor, are you trying to choke to death?"

When he swallowed, it looked like it hurt him. 

"I wouldn't, Rose, but thank you for your concern. It's touching." 

"Yeah, but how 'bout you don't do that again, huh? For my own peace of mind, you know." 

"Aw. Were you worried about me?"

"Every single day. You are really good about almost killing yourself. On a daily basis." 

"Not my fault. Trouble finds me." 

"True enough, yeah. Nevertheless, don't go tempting fate." 

"Yes, dear," he sassed. "Anything else you want to pick on me for, you blond tyrant?"

"Yes. You snore. Stop it." 

"I most certainly do not."

"You do. I heard you taking a nap in the library two mornings ago and it almost gave me a heart attack. Thought you were dying or being attacked by a bear." 

"I do not snore. And how could a bear have possibly gotten on the ship?" 

"You do... and I've seen stranger things happen." 

"I do not and, even if I did, there's nothing I can do about it." He paused and his brows dipped. "But I don't snore." 

Rose grinned. "I know. I was havin' ya on, Doctor."

"You are evil." 

"Did I have you worried?"

"...No." 

"It'd be alright. Wouldn't be the first man I'd lived with that snored." Her flirty smile froze, feeling more like a grimace. "Um, I meant... Never mind." 

"Rose Tyler." It was his turn to grin. "Are you really saying we're living together?"

"Um, well, uh... Aren't we?" she asked curiously and the Doctor looked stunned. "Never mind," she repeated quickly. "Oh, what's this?"

The Doctor, looking merely surprised now, glanced at the bowled... stuff... a servant placed in front of her. His expression blanked. 

"Dessert, but I don't think you should try that." 

"Is there something wrong with it, Lord Doctor?"

"She's allergic," he replied quickly. "Deadly to her, this is." 

"Oh, er, yeah. Allergic," she played along, eyeballing the whatever. "Bad... allergic... 's bad." 

"We were not aware. Might we offer you something different, Lady Rose? Morphesh, remove her gobarg at once. Quickly. Kindest thoughts, Morphesh. Thank you. Lady Rose?"

"No. I'm pretty... full right now, but thank you." 

The Doctor looked in between his own bowled dessert and her several times before smiling tightly and sliding it away from him. 

"Sorry, Amera, Frickash. For her sake, you know. By all means, though, enjoy. Next time, I'll make sure to provide a list of her allergies. I should have thought." 

"Sorry," Rose agreed. "We don't mean to insult you." 

"You have not insulted us, Lady Rose. Have we insulted you by providing toxic foodstuffs?"

"No. Course not." 

"I truly hate to eat and run," the Doctor spoke up a few moments later. "You know I do, but we really must go, Amera, Frickash. I just remembered I promised to take Rose one more place for her birthday and if we don't leave soon, we'll never make it in time. Forgive us?"

Clearly they didn't know he had a time machine. That big liar. 

"You need never ask," Amera replied graciously. "We hope to see you and your companion again. Travel well, Lord Doctor. Travel well, Lady Rose." 

"Thank you." 

"Thanks." 

"Travel well, Lord Doctor," Frickash seconded. "Lady Rose, be well and fruitful." 

Rose's brows lifted. "Uh, thanks." 

The Doctor snickered, herded Rose behind him, and bowed his way out of the room. In the corridor, he waved away a servant wanting to show them out and headed for the front entrance. 

"Be fruitful. I like that. Can I randomly throw that into conversation sometimes, Rose? ‘You look lovely today. Be fruitful.’ ‘We should probably run before we get shot. Be fruitful.’ Would that be acceptable?” 

"I might decide to kick you in your Time Lord 'fruits' if you do," she answered sweetly. "Would that be acceptable?" She paused for several seconds, but he said nothing. "Well?"

"I'm weighing whether or not the seemingly endless and excruciating pain would be worth seeing your face like that again." He sucked in a deep breath and scrunched his nose. "Nah, probably not." 

"Good choice, Doctor. Bad enough I have to deal with Mum nagging me about settling down. Don't really wanna hear you takin' shots at me on top of that." 

"Does she really do that? Why?" A pained looked crossed his features. "Rose, is your mother trying to get you to leave me?" 

"Oh, Doctor. You look so sad. Stop makin' that face."

"I knew your mum didn't like me, no matter what you said. This proves it.”

"Are you pouting?" 

"I don't pout." 

Rose snickered. "You so were." 

"Quit picking on me, you mean little human. It's not fair to kick a man while he's down." 

"Just so you know, I don't plan to leave you. Couldn't if I tried… and Mum doesn't hate you." 

"Ha." His lips twisted into a crooked smile, his expression looking triumphant. "I knew you liked being with me." 

"Yeah. More than you'll ever know." They stepped out into the sunshine and, while basking in the warmth for a moment, Rose slyly glanced at the Doctor. "You're pretty great, Doctor." 

"Thank you, Rose. I feel much better. Though... you still haven't told me what I really wanted to hear." 

His eyes stayed on the horizon. 

"Um, told you what?"

"That I'm the greatest man you've ever met and you would be positively lost and miserable without me. I believe I asked you to say it word for word." 

That grin. How could she deny him anything when he wore that grin?

"You're-" 

"No. You sound sarcastic." 

"I only said one word!" 

"You still sounded sarcastic. Do try again." 

Rose rolled her eyes and hoped her smile wasn’t too noticeable. "Do you want me to say it or not?"

"Say it?"

"Fine. You're the greatest man- besides my dad- that I've ever met and... I really would be positively lost and miserable without you. Did I get it right?"

"Good enough." He gave her a sweet smile, snatched her hand out of her back pocket, and started down the path they'd taken earlier. "Right. Let's stop to pick up our baby girl, then, and we'll be off. I actually do have one more stop for you and I think you're going to like this almost as much as swimming in the sky, as it were." 

"Oh, yeah? We'll see, Doctor." 

"Ehm... Yes, you will." 

Wait. 

Wait a minute. 

Did he say our baby? Awww! She really wanted to say something, maybe tease him a little, but she could tell he really didn't want her to say anything at all. Did he mean to say that or was it an accident and he was over there praying she'd not noticed?

Well, she had, buddy. She wasn't forgetting it, either.

"We haven't named her," she said instead and watched him relax. "Or, rather, I don't know if she has a name already." 

"She doesn't, but I thought Jackie was fitting. You could have a Jackie with you whenever you wanted, Rose, and I wouldn't go insane knowing Jackie Tyler was constantly nearby! Oh, say we can name her Jackie. Please, please, please?" 

"You're only pushing for the name 'cause you want my mum to know we have a gigantic beast of a dogfish living on-board and that we've named her Jackie. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Not at all. Don't be silly." 

"That face right there? That's how I know you're lying, Doctor." 

"You are too observant by half. You're really ruining my fun today." He stopped walking and looked up before turning to her. "Stay right here. I'm moving the TARDIS closer."

"Alright."

Soon, the TARDIS was right in front of her and the Doctor strolled out, his hands on his jacket. He shrugged it off, draped it over her arm, and then tucked his screwdriver into her front jeans pocket. 

"Be careful with that. Don't drop it or activate any settings." 

"I won't." 

He was undressing in front of her. Oh, yeah. 

"Good. Now here's the fun part." His tie went around her neck, his knuckles brushing her skin. "From the time I get our girl outta the water, I'll have exactly one-hundred sixty-five seconds to get her onto dry land and into the TARDIS. I'm gonna need your help." AS he talked, his fingers easily slipped his shirt buttons through their holes and Rose watched helplessly. "Think we can do it?"

"Yeah, we can. What do you need me to do?"

"Ah, yes. The doors will both need to be opened and I'll need you to retrieve the tarp I've put in the control room." He tossed his shirt over her arm with a grin. His hands dropped to his belt and Rose's mouth went dry. "That's how we'll move her. The corridors are already clear, but perhaps you might ask the old girl to put Pool Six as close as possible to the doors." 

"Is that it?

He carefully slung his belt around her neck and unbuttoned his trousers. She might have drooled a little bit, which she thought was impossible with a dry mouth. 

"No. I'll need your help carrying her. I'll be able to manage most of her weight, but not all." 

"Right. I think I can do that. I can at least try." 

"I'm glad to hear that. While you're taking care of things down here, I'll be up there looking for her." He stepped out of his trousers, piled them into Rose's outstretched arms, and toed off one of his trainers. "This last bit's very important. Rose, I need you to pay attention to this if nothing else. Well, and the part about the tarp, too." 

"Yeah, okay. Whatever it is, I'll do it." 

"Brilliant. I'm very serious about this." She nodded somberly and the Doctor slid the tied laces of both trainers around her wrist. "I need you... to put my trainers and clothing on the jump seat, side by side. I don't want my clothing getting dirty." 

Two seconds passed before Rose reacted.

"Oh, my God, Doctor! Seriously? Here I was thinking you were gonna say that something was life or death and you're just talking about your bloody suit?" 

"And my trainers, Rose. Side by side. Better yet, put the shoes on the floor. I don't want any dirt getting on my suit. Please remember that."

"You're lucky I don't toss the lot into the sky and gleefully watch ‘em land in the water. You'd deserve it." 

"That, Rose Tyler, is near blasphemy." 

"Oh, go on. Let me know when you're ready." 

"I'm going." 

He walked off the edge of land, much like a pirate on the plank, and Rose snickered while heading to the TARDIS to do as he'd asked. She heard his happy yell as he shot into the sky and smiled. His clothing went on the jump seat, his shoes went on the floor, a large tarp was bundled into her arms, and both doors were kicked wide open. Before she walked completely out, though, she looked around uncertainly. 

"Uh, hello. Would you mind moving Pool Six as close to the doors as possible? Thank you.”

She hesitated and hoped that'd be enough. She really had no idea how to truly talk to this old ship, but she was sure the old girl'd understood. Hopefully. 

"Rose!" 

"I'm done," she called back and hurried outside. "Ready?"

"Lay out the tarp on the ground, will ya? Can't take the time to do it once we get out of here." Rose unfolded and laid out the tarp, as close to where the Doctor was floating along with Queen Kong. She giggled at her own lame joke and stood back up. "Perfect, but of course it is. We're coming down. Be prepared for some heavy weightlifting here in a moment. I promise I'll make it up to you. Diamond dew drops, chocolate mountains, whatever you want." 

"Do those actually exist?"

The Doctor paused, arms slung around the Pucha Equa's body. "Well, no, but I'm sure I could find a way to make the mountain and there's a planet on the outer reaches of Mairze Urd where diamonds literally just lay about like tiny pebbles. Absolutely worthless to the people. I could scoop up handfuls at a time and no one would care at all, Rose. I could create your diamond dew drops in the garden on the ship... if that's what you wanted. Seems a bit silly, is all. Thought human women preferred to wear their jewels." 

"I was just curious. Let's get this done." 

"Ooh, she agrees. Look at her clapping. Good girl. Yes, you're a good girl. Aww, oh, you're a really smart girl. Clap again for Daddy." 

Daddy? He wasn't being nice in any way.

"Doctor." 

"Oh. Right, sorry. Think she's getting impatient, big girl. Yes, that's a very good thing. Oh, look at you waving at Mummy. You're too cute." 

Mummy? The sod. 

"Doctor!" 

"Sorry! I can't help it. She's adorable." He pulled in a deep breath and let it out quickly. "Right. Get ready. We're coming down." 

Though he claimed they made it to the pool with time to spare, it had felt like a slow process moving the dogfish into the TARDIS, him rushing her along and bemoaning the many faults of humankind and her stumbling and fumbling and threatening to kick him in the rear if he kept talking about humans like that. In the end, though, it was worth it. Their 'little' pet looked happy, jumping and diving in and out of the water and splashing them both profusely.

She'd asked about her name and he'd said they'd pick her name later. It'd made her smile shamelessly. Once back in the control room, both freshly dried and changed, the Doctor grinned while moving around the console and Rose couldn't help joining in. 

"I'm curious about something." 

"And what would that be?"

"What was that last thing they served us at lunch?"

"Er..." He pushed down a lever and pressed a few buttons. "Best you don't know, Rose." 

"Is it bad, then?"

"No, it tastes alright."

"That's not what I meant." 

The ship shuddered as it landed and Rose finally let go of the edge of the console. The Doctor licked his lips. 

"Let's just say it wouldn't sit well with you. Now. Outside those doors is our final destination." He grinned widely and pushed her across the room. "You're really going to love this. I've truly outdone myself today, I think." He then gave her a smug smile. "Like you said, I'm the greatest man you've ever met. You'll agree with me again by the end of the day. Just you wait." 

"Oh, shut up and open the door." He shrugged, still grinning smugly, and pulled the door open. Rose took a step forward, but faltered in the doorway. "Where are we?"

"Looks like a closet," the Doctor stated casually. He squeezed past her, did this weird little shimmy thing around boxes and whatnot in the cramped space of the closet, and grabbed the closet's door knob before turning back to her. "Are you going to stay there all night? You'll not have much fun."

"Er, no, guess not. Lead on, then." 

"Gladly." 

He caught her hand up and pulled her after him, radiating excitement. Wherever they were going, it clearly had him in a good mood. She spent a moment simply watching him as they walked before grinning and trying to figure out where they could possibly be. He met her eyes once, beamed, and focused back on the long, empty corridor. Looking around, she noted it looked almost like a disused office building or something. 

Well, that was a bit of a let-down after Hakos. Why had he brought her here?

"So where are we?" 

"Looks like a hallway." 

"That much is obvious. Why are we in a hallway?"

"Would you rather be back in the closet? Bit cramped, but we could have made it work. Would've eventually found something to do in there, I should think." 

Oh, she had a few ide- No, she didn't, because she wasn't supposed to have those sorts of ideas. At all. Ever. Apparently. Too bad, though. 

"Probably, yeah. Where's this hallway lead?"

"To another hallway," he answered as they turned the corner into, yep, another hallway. "Inquisitive, are you? We could play a game. You humans call it... something questions. I don't know. Question and answer, that sort of thing, about yourself. Seems to be popular. I wouldn't mind a go, see how much more I can learn about Rose Tyler.”

"You mean 21 Questions? I haven't played that in years." 

"That's it! 21 Questions. Ran into it years and years ago. Boys bound for Uni, all drunker than a bunch of skunks. It was entertaining. Rules?"

"No really embarrassing questions." 

"Or deeply personal questions, such as those concerning certain incidents in the past that are best kept under lock and key." 

"I can agree to that. Anything else before we start?"

"Complete honesty is required. If you don't want to answer a question, don't lie. Just tell me."

"Likewise, Doctor." 

"Perfect. Would you like to ask first?"

"Sure, yeah. Um... If I were to write about your life-" 

"Good heavens!" 

"I know. Imagine me writing.”

“Yes, because that’s clearly why I said that.” The Doctor snorted and glanced around. “What’s the question?”

“If I were to write about your life, what would you want to name the book?"

"That's a bit unoriginal." 

"I ask everyone the same question. It's interesting to see what people think of themselves." 

"Alright. I suppose I'd choose something witty, like... The Young & The Restless," he said, pointing first at her and then at him. "Title compliments of an old soap opera. Or perhaps it's not... Hmm. Seems to be about the same time... Different continent, perhaps. Anyways. My turn." 

She giggled. "Alright. Good answer, by the way."

"Thank you. Now let's see... Make this interesting, man." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glanced down at her, and then started up a staircase before snapping the fingers of his free hand. "I've got it! What is one sound that never fails to make you happy? It’s both random and interesting."

"Your laugh," she replied automatically and a grin stretched across his mouth, making little dimples crease his cheeks. She blushed vibrantly. They reached the final step of the staircase and she briefly debated falling down them, if only to get his mind off what she’d said. "I mean, because... Uh, if you had to travel anywhere and you couldn't use the TARDIS, what form of transportation would you use?"

"Rose Tyler, do you like my laugh?"

"...No. You didn't answer my question." 

"I think you do," he said and nudged her hip with his thigh. "What about my smile? Like that, too? Maybe my manly hands?" He squeezed her hand with his own. "Anything else you like about me?"

"You haven't answered my question," she said, blushing even worse than before and pointedly avoiding his eyes. "You have to travel without the TARDIS, what do you use?" 

"I'm coming back to this later, Rose," he promised, still grinning. "If I had to travel without the TARDIS... Hmm. Am I going overseas?"

"Yes." 

"Boat. No, I'm not afraid of airplanes, though they aren't the most structurally sound means of transportation known to humans. I just like water. My turn." Rose held her breath, expecting an embarrassing question, but was sorely- sorely?- disappointed. "How do you picture your life in twenty years?"

"I haven't." 

"You've never thought about it? Not even a passing thought like oh, I might be doing this exact thing in twenty years?"

"Do you often think that?"

"Hard not to. So?"

"Twenty years," she mused. "I'll be forty-five. That's just two years younger than Mum, you know." 

"So it is. Are track suits and beautiful daughters in your future?"

"Doubt it very much," she laughed. "Can you imagine me in a track suit?"

Hold a moment. Did he just imply she was beautiful?

"Don't even want to try, thanks. So?"

"I don't know. I'd hope I'd still be travelling or something." She left the 'with you' out of it, but that soft smile on his lips said he'd heard it all the same. "Everything else... Who knows? Guess we'll just have to wait and see." 

"Very good answer. Me now." 

"Yep. If you were to get stuck for a few months in any place and time, where and when would you hope to be?"

"I would hope you and I were stuck on Earth, perhaps around the sixties, since I have some firsthand knowledge of the customs and whatnot of the time. I'd be able to procure money for us- won't tell you how. You wouldn't struggle too much with anything 'cause it's your home planet and you know what's acceptable and what's not. It'd be easy for us to handle. Earth sounds the best.”

"Martha said you made her get a job. You wouldn't do that to me?" she teased. "Honesty now."

"Not you, no. I'd figure something else out if it came down to that." 

Her heart was flipping around in her chest and she wasn't ashamed of it at all. She liked Martha, but a small part of her was savagely happy the Doctor would treat her differently in the same situation. 

"Oh. Yeah, I could deal with that. Um... Me?"

"If you could have chosen the time period you were born, what would it be?"

"That's a good one. Um, would I have still met you?" 

"Of course. That wasn't even an option, silly girl." 

"Okay. Sometime when they wore corsets and pretty dresses. That way, I'd feel especially rebellious when you introduced me to jeans and I shocked all of society by wearing 'em home. I'd start a revolution!" 

He chuckled. "I've no doubt." 

"Rose, the rebel. Has a nice ring to it. My question for you: what are we doing here?"

"I'm not answering that, but I'll be gracious enough to allow you to ask another question."

"How kind." She rolled her eyes and tripped over a rolled-up carpet in the middle of the corridor. She blushed as the Doctor caught her 'round the waist and put her back on her feet. "Thanks." God, how embarrassing. "What's one thing you really want to do, but have never gotten the chance to? Like skydiving or whatever." 

"Done it. Not very fun unless you’re in thirty-ninth century Rome, which I wasn’t. One thing? Hmm. There's so much I want to do... I would have to say one of those things would be to give you the best birthday ever. And what do you know? I'm doing it." He grinned, teeth glimmering in the low light. "If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would it be? You may list up to six people, excluding me. I'd naturally be present."

"Okay. I'd want Twiggy from back in the day 'cause she was so cute and fashionable, whoever Jack decides to marry in the future... if he even does, you, your last you, and the face of Boe. Since we met him that first time, I've always wondered how he became like that, who he used to be, how long he'd been alive. Everything." It was the Doctor's turn to trip, though it was more of a graceful stumble than an actual fall. "Are you okay? What happened?" 

"Have I never told you? I know who the face of Boe used to be- is- er, was? Will be?" 

"What? No, you don't! Who?"

"Jack." 

"...What? Jack's the... How is- Really? Our Jack? Our friend, Jack? That one?"

"Our friend, Jack, yes." He looked so young grinning like that. "Surprising, isn't it? The best part is he doesn't even know and we can't tell him. He was there our first adventure, remember?"

"And was part of what was almost our last," she added quietly. "Incredible." 

"It wasn't, though. Our last. It wasn't." 

"I know that. He’s been there with us all along."

"It's hard to believe- I know, Time Lord having trouble with this- that old Boe knew who I was the first time we met. It's incredible, like you said." 

"Yeah... Wow. That’s awesome.” She shook her head and smiled. “Me now. If you had to get a job for one week straight, what would you want to do?"

"Well, I've done the teaching thing. Couple times. Done a lot of things, actually. Maybe try something I've never done before." 

"What's something you've never done around me before? How 'bout... being a mime? Different clothes, no talking..."

"Oi! Be nice, little missy.” She shrugged and grinned. “It’s an excellent suggestion, though, and now I have a very good question for you."

"Let's hear it."

"Have you secretly picked out baby names for your future children?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mind sharing?"

"They're, uh, Eric James and Jude Morgan."

"Eric James and Jude Morgan," he repeated and then made a face. "Bit human, don't ya think?"

"Well, I am human."

"Yes, but... I would have thought you'd choose something different, but who am I to judge? I go by Doctor."

"Exactly. If you could somehow take two animals from Earth and make them into a new creature, what would you choose?"

"A walrus and a polar bear. No, a puma and a lion. Wait, no. A panther and a chihuahua. That'd be hilar- Huh. No.” He grimaced. “Rose, this is really hard."

"I'm enjoying it, though. Makes me wonder what you'll finally decide on."

"I'll keep going until something sounds right." He stopped them in the middle of a low-lit corridor and sat on a large box, tugging at her hand until she did the same. "Let's see. A giraffe and an elephant. Oh, that'd look like a dinosaur! Er, no. Never mind. A wolf and a grizzly bear. Uh, no, that's worse. Talk about the ultimate predator, huh?"

"How 'bout a camel and a llama?"

"Too similar. A toucan and a snake."

"Bit dangerous. Mind of a snake, beak and wings of a bird?"

"Good point. Ooh! Cheetah and a zebra. Can you imagine what the markings of that animal could be? Stripes and spots together. Who knows how it'd turn out? Oh, it'd be extraordinary. Good question, Rose.”

“Thank you.”

“If you could have any book become a part of reality, what book would you want that to be?"

"Um... "Alice In Wonderland" 'cause it seems like it'd be trippy and fun in a good way."

"I've never considered that one. Gives me something to think about later, doesn't it?"

"I think so. If you’d said series, I would’ve gone with Harry Potter. Just saying.”

“That would be so cool.”

She laughed at him. “I know. What's the prettiest planet you've ever been to? If it's Hakos, the second prettiest."

"That's easy. Morago, though Hakos is a close second or third. Oh, you'd love the place, Rose." He sat up straight and grinned widely. "They have these tiny creatures- they look almost like pandas from Earth, you know- and they only grow to be about three inches tall at best and are fluffy, chunky little things. Make wonderful pets for the little ones on Morago. I bet you'd fall in love with them upon first sight! Then, of course, there are the reasons I love the planet." 

"What would those be? Anything to do with what makes the place pretty?"

"Well… Not really. Anyway, they have this natural herb that has the kick of coffee, the taste of hot chocolate, and the brewing ease of tea leaves! They’re rather unique-looking, but it’s the scenery that makes it the prettiest planet.” He thought about that a second, frowned, and then shook his head. “Well, obviously. The sky is always golden, the trees are burgundy, the waters are pale lilac, and the ground is orange. Orange, Rose!”

“Sounds like a nice place to go.”

“It is. Besides the beauty of the planet, the people are peaceable and that’s… just wonderful. It's a neutral planet if ever I've seen one. I've never once had a call for help from them. They live primitively, but have extensive records of their history, and are literate. Literate and primitive,” he marveled. "Sounds strange, I know, but it's true. I should take you there sometime." 

"I'd like that. My turn."

"Alright. If you ever have children, how many do you want?"

Again the questions about kids?

"Um, maybe two or three. I was an only child, you know, and it got lonely sometimes. I mean, I stayed with Mickey or Sh'reen while Mum worked and I played with the neighborhood kids whenever she was home, but it's not the same." The Doctor nodded sympathetically and she kept talking, because that's what it seemed he wanted. "The times where the weather was bad or the sun had gone down were the worst. Then it was just me and Mum, who was usually too busy trying to budget her money or talking to whoever she was seeing at the time. She was a good mum, don't get me wrong, but..." 

"You were lonely." 

"Yeah." 

"And then you grew up and eventually met me! I'm glad you shared that with me, Rose." She nodded and he abruptly clapped his hands. "Alright. My turn." 

"Okay. If you were somehow born a human instead of... you, what do you imagine your life would be like?" 

"Ooh. That's a really good question," he said eagerly. "I've actually thought about this a few times, believe it or not. I conjured up two radically different scenarios. The first, I'd have a terribly boring name, like Rob or Fred or Bill. I'd be one of those unhappy men who work a desk in some office building by day and come home at the end of an uneventful day to a wife I was faithful to, exactly two children- a boy and a girl, a dog, and perhaps my mother-in-law. As you can imagine, that one scared the pants off me, but as Rob or Fred or Bill, I wouldn't have minded." 

Rose snickered. "And the second?"

"Ah, yes. The second, I'd be named something like Gideon or Mason. Possibly Lucas. I don't know. I'd be devilishly handsome, make a living by writing of my travels 'round the world, and often be unreachable. When I'd come home, which would be rare, I imagined my home would be full of sumptuous fabrics, comfortable yet stylish furniture, and mementos of my travels." 

"No wife or girlfriend?" 

"No... I'd date plenty, but most women I'd meet would be more worried about finding The One and settling down, which would clash with my chosen occupation." 

"Sounds lonely." 

"It does, I'll grant you that, but it also sounds exciting." 

"Okay, Gideon." She rolled her eyes and he inexplicably frowned. "Me now." 

"Er, alright. I'm not Gideon, but alright. Would you describe your perfect date? Well, your perfect date before you met me, obviously." 

She shrugged. "It never happened." 

"What would it have been like, then? I'm interested." 

"Fine. We'd stay home in comfy clothes, make dinner together, and just talk. Nothing else, really." 

"Not even... relations?" He wiggled his brows suggestively and she gasped. "Oh, come on. Be honest with me. The point of the game is to get to know each other better. I'm curious to know what Rose Tyler likes." 

"Oh, my God," she groaned, her entire body heating with an embarrassed flush. She mumbled, "yes, probably." 

The Doctor leaned towards her. "Sorry. Didn't catch that." 

"Yes," she said louder. "Okay? I'm a healthy woman. I like it." 

"Do you? Hmm. I'd wondered." 

Rose frowned at him. What was that supposed to mean? 

"Right. Question unrelated to our game: is there a reason we're sitting in a hallway?"

"Ah." He abruptly looked surprised. "Well, no. We're actually running late. Silly of me- a Time Lord!- to lose track of time. I was really having fun, though. Forgive me?"

"If you tell me why we're here."

"Okay. Done. Tell me first."

"I forgive you."

He smirked. "We're here as part of a birthday gift from yours truly. Come along, Rose. Lots to do and see."

Ooh. He thinks he's so clever, doesn't he? Rose huffed and allowed herself to be drug along by the Doctor, only getting more suspicious when the lights got dimmer and dimmer the closer they got to a set of doors at the end of the hall. She frowned. Weren't they on the fourth or fifth floor by now? Surely the lights should be brighter here than they had been near the TARDIS. What was going on? And where were they? Could they get nicked for trespassing? 

"Doctor, if we get caught in here, could we get in trouble?"

"Nope. I've had this set up for days- well, weeks and weeks, actually." He stopped in front of the doors and grabbed a doorknob with each hand. "Inside this room, Rose, I've arranged for your best birthday present yet. Go ahead and make a guess."

"Okay. Looks like an office building. Nothing special about the place," she mused and then guessed, "Alien activity?"

"I'm pleased you'd consider that as a possibility for your best gift yet." 

"So is it?"

"Nope. Not unless you count my presence as “alien” activity. Guess again."

"Um, we're in the past and I'm about to meet one of my ancestors?"

"That- do you want to?"

"Not anymore. Once was fine with me."

"Wise of you, of course. That wasn’t even close. One more guess."

"You've brought me somewhere you used to work and I'm going to find a photo or something of you in a different body."

"Wrong again. Though, if you wanted photos, I could attempt to find some." His brows dipped. "Is that what you want?"

"Can't imagine I'd appreciate them much. I mean, same man, yeah, but I didn't know you then. You now and your last you? Those photos would definitely be nice, but not of those other guys."

"You just simultaneously complimented and offended me. I love it and hate it."

"I'm glad and you'll get over it. What's inside?"

"Go on in. I'll get the lights. Also, we're finishing that game later."

"Definitely." 

Rose gingerly wandered into the dark room and listened to the Doctor patting at the wall. Abruptly, there was light blinding her and dozens of voices yelling "surprise!" She blinked and slowly focused on the room...

Which was full of her friends. 

She spun around and grinned at the Doctor. He smiled sweetly in return.

"Surprise, Rose."

"You set this up?" He nodded and she launched herself at him for a tight hug that he cheerfully returned. "Thank you. You're amazing."

"The greatest, I believe you said. Kindly get it right next time."

She snorted and turned to look for her mum in the crowd. It wasn't until she was having the breath squeezed from her that she realized her mum had gotten to her first. 

"Oh, my Rose. I've missed you! That man's been keeping you away from me on purpose. I know he has."

"It hasn’t been that long, Mum. I think."

"I know that. Still seems too long. Happy birthday, sweetheart. Did he tell you what he did?"

"He set the party up, I know. Isn't he great?"

"It was my idea. He stole it from me, but no, that wasn't what I was talking 'bout. He found Pete!"

Rose slowly nodded and surreptitiously checked her mum's breath for alcohol. Finding not even a hint, she frowned further and checked her pupils. Normal. Had she lost it? 

"Mum, what're you talkin' 'bout? Pete's-"

"Right here," a male voice butted in. "Nice to see you, Rose."

Rose turned and eyed Pete Tyler. A Pete, but was it the Pete she'd met? The Doctor, she realized, was noticeably absent. He would be just when she needed his input, wouldn’t he?

"Er, hello, Pete. H-how are you here?"

"Your Doctor, of course. Don't know how he did it and he refuses to tell me much, but I'm here again. For good."

So the Pete she knew. 

"But how? We left you in your own world."

"And then he found me. Can't really tell you much. Was leaving work one night, got hit in the back of the head, and woke up on his ship." He chuckled. "Scratched my toe again last night on your mother's broken sofa leg and it hurt like the dickens so I know I'm not dead or dreaming."

She unwillingly snickered. "Good to hear. Well, you know what I mean. How long've you been here?"

"Going on two months."

"Wow." Two months. Where was she two months ago? Well, that could've easily been months and months, a few days, or mere hours to her... "I'm glad you're here now. Are, uh, you two getting along just fine?" Her mum blushed, Pete looked away, and Rose had a distinctly unappetizing taste crawl up the back of her throat. "Okay. You two can go away now."

Hand in hand they walked off, Pete telling some story and Jackie laughing at whatever he said. After talking with a few friends from back home, Rose backed up a few steps, fully intending to lean against the wall for a few moments of private thinking time, and ran into a wall. 

And oh, yeah, it was a wall alright. The kind of wall that had arms, legs, and a banana. No, seriously. It was an actual banana. 

"Hello, Rose. Fancy a bite? 'S good."

"No." She chuckled and leaned against the Doctor, his arms still around her, hoping he wouldn't push her away just yet. "Enjoy it. Please. But before you do, maybe you could explain how that happened."

"How what happened?"

She turned her head a bit and looked up at him. 

"Pete."

"Ah. Easy. 'Bout four months ago for us, I got bored and annoyed you were sleeping and decided to fiddle around in my study. Well, I got a call for help and the old girl took me where I needed to go. Didn't wanna wake you up, you know? I actually went to wake you up, but you looked so peaceful." He sighed and she turned fully to face him, just in case he was getting annoyed by her leaning against him. He frowned. "Turned out a group of Brumslogs were ripping holes in the dimensional walls- it was all rather anticlimactic in the end- and that's how I found Pete."

"So that's why you were cut and bloodied a while back. I'd been worried," she said, glad she finally got an answer about that. She'd thought he'd gotten tired of her humanness, of the need to sleep, and had started going on adventures on his own. He technically had gone on his own, but not for the reason she'd feared. "Were you the one that hit him?"

"He was unconscious when I found him, I swear," he immediately replied, hands going up with half a banana clutched in one. "After I took care of the Brumslogs and he finally came around, I had approximately three minutes and a half to let him grab a few things and then to seal up the holes again. That's starting to become something of a regular occurrence and I don't like it one bit, Rose."

"I know."

"Yes, well, I don't think I've ever seen a human move that fast. He had seven very large and very heavy bags when time was up. It's incredible what all you lot can squeeze into a bag when faced with the possibility of never again returning to your home. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd managed to fit a telly in one of 'em."

"He really wanted to come?"

"Yes. Took one look at me and said he was coming with me. I didn't even have to ask. He's obviously had your mother on the brain, though I've no idea why."

"Oh, you can stop. I know you secretly like her."

"Bite your tongue, Miss Tyler.” She did, sassily biting the tip and then poking her tongue out at him. His hand shot forward to snatch her tongue up, like he'd taken to doing lately, but she was quicker than him and merely giggled once her tongue was safely back in her mouth. He shook his finger at her. "One day, Rose. One day."

"Yeah, yeah. All talk, you are."

"Go mingle. They're all here for you, after all. Can't be holed up in a corner with the old 'alien.'" He grinned and gently pushed her away. "Oh, look! I think I see Mickey waving for you. There's Jack, too."

"Don't you sneak away without me. Got it?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

After a nod, Rose wandered off and soon joined Mickey and Jack near the food table. Jack nearly suffocated her with a hug and Mickey awkwardly gave her a weird one-armed thing that couldn't really be called a hug at all. Though, since his eyes were focused on something over her shoulder, likely the Doctor, she didn't say anything. He knew she loved him and the Doctor had always acted territorial... though he hadn't done anything about it recently. 

Damn aliens. 

"You, my gorgeous girl, get more and more tempting every time I see you," Jack commented. "Sure you don't wanna give an old soldier a chance? I don't wanna brag or anything, but I was a part of World War II and I've heard ladies like the veterans."

"Jack, be serious."

"I won’t ever stop trying."

She smiled. "How're things?"

"Great! Me, I'm still me. Kicking ass, getting a- well, that's something I shouldn't say in front of a lady. And Mickey here's a real man now. Got a good job at Torchwood, owns this little place outside Cardiff, has himself a girl and a dog. Can't go through life feeling second best to a frankly appetizing alien, now can he? Speaking of, has he said it yet? Or even, you know, made a move beyond that risqué hand-holding? If so, I want details. Lots of them. If not, you're both cowards and I'm ashamed to know either of you."

Mickey took that as his cue to leave with only "yeah, I'll be over there" as a goodbye. 

"Jack," Rose cried, embarrassed. "Stop it. I think the Doctor got over... I mean, it's been so long since I came back and- Yeah, we did have...er, right after, you know, with you and the human Doctor, but-" She shook her head. She really didn't want to talk about this. "How's Martha? The wedding's coming up, yeah?"

"So you had sex, but...? 

"Jack, please." 

"This is so stupid. I would have thought by now- Rose, he's almost told you before. You've definitely told him. Said so yourself. What's stopping you from doing it again?"

"Can we not talk about this? Please."

"He's been watching you this entire time. How can you think he doesn't love you? Don't be so stupid." He pointed towards the Doctor, said, "march over there and do something," and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know! Go kiss the holy hell outta him. He wants it... and I wanna watch."

"And how do you know that?"

"You're his Rose Tyler and he loves you. And hell, I want it, too, and I'm not even in love with you," Jack joked. "He loves you. He wants you. He's a coward. Please take pity on him for all our sake. I swear it's like he's over there undressing you with his eyes. I feel like I'm intruding! And let’s be honest here, how many times has that ever happened?”

"Shut up." She laughed and shook her head. "It's been months now, Jack. He acts like nothing at all's happened and that nothing's changed. Maybe he was gonna say it, but maybe it wasn't meant how I hoped. Or something. I don't know... and lots of people sleep together in the heat of the moment and later regret it."

"You're kind of an idiot, Rose. You know that?"

"And you're gonna be missing some important parts here in a second, Jack. You know that?"

"I'm just saying if I can tell he loves you, it's not all in your head. He's still watching you. And hello, he did all of this for you. The ultimate show of happy domestication: planning his lady love's surprise birthday party. He had to work with your mother and you know how he feels about both domestics and your mom." He grinned smugly. "He loves you. He's in love with you."

Rose surreptitiously eyed the Doctor. He was looking this way... but was it at her?

"Really? Do you think so?"

"Twenty says he'd kiss you back if you kissed him right now and fifty says he'd initiate the next one, which will probably be right after the first."

"You're that sure?"

"Oh, yeah. Actually, triple both of those. I'm playing poker with the boys later and I'd like a little extra cash on me."

Rose laughed. "Not gonna happen, slick."

"It was worth a try. You should go tell him or kiss him or something. I'll only watch a little." He paused. "A lot. Oh, alright, I won't look away once, but you can't blame me. You two together- and you know what I mean- has always been a favorite thought of mine.”

"I'll think about it." Oh, would she. "How exactly did he manage to plan this, by the way?"

"You sleep too much. It's all he's talked about the last four months, I swear. 'Cept for party plans. Sure you two haven't…?" He wiggled his brows. "Ladies tend to tire easily when they’re knocked up.”

"That's not funny." Her arms didn't curl around her in a hug, but it was a close thing. "I’m sure I'm not."

His head cocked to the side. "Do you wish you were?"

"Jack."

"I'm serious."

"Doesn't matter what I wish, yeah? Besides, I love what I do with the Doctor. A baby would mean I'd have to stop travelling with him and I... I really don't want to do that. Ever."

"I bet you'd be one of those sexy pregnant women. Some's got it, some don't and you, you sexy thing, definitely have the raw material."

"Forbidden fruit, Jack."

"Sadly, yeah. Bet he wouldn’t let you off the ship if you ever did, you know, get pregnant."

“Guess we’ll never-”

"ROSE MARION FUGGIN’ TYLER!!!"

Rose spun from Jack and felt more than saw her best friend jump on her. 

"Shareen, oh, my God! You break up with this new one already, then?"

"He wasn't worth it. Always bitchin' 'bout everythin' I did. But I'm so glad to see you! That hot ball of sexiness of yours pointed me this way. You lucky bitch, by the way. God, I can't believe I was late!"

"Me, either."

She and Shareen bounced around, hugging each other and talking over each other, for several seconds. Until, of course, someone cleared their throat. Loudly. Twice. Rose pulled back and laughed. 

"Rose?"

"Right. Sh'reen, this is Jack. Jack, my best friend, Sh'reen."

"Captain Jack," he said smoothly, capturing Shareen’s wrist and kissing her palm. "Allow me to get you a drink?"

Mouth open, Rose watched Jack whisk her best friend away without so much as another word to her. What just happened?

"Go figure. He was here more'n a minute."

"Hey again, Mickey."

"Hey. Nice party." Rose nodded, staring at the neatly-aligned punch bowls on the drinks table across the room. "He's right, you know. I couldn't keep doin' it."

"I'm glad you couldn't." She meant that, too. "Tell me 'bout everythin' goin' on with you?"

"You really wanna know?"

"Well, yeah. You're still my friend, aren't you?"

"Er, yeah. No, yeah. Of course I am, Rose."

"Well?"

"Her name's Madison." He faltered and Rose met his eyes. "We have a two-bedroom place near Cardiff. Got a dog, too. Cody. Stupid thing, he is, but loyal and Maddy loves him."

"Sounds nice."

They stood there in silence for nearly a minute and then Mickey quietly cleared his throat. 

"She's pregnant."

"What? Really? No. What? That's great, Mickey! Wow."

"Just found out. Not too sure how far in she is."

"You're gonna be a father. That's... incredible. Really." She swallowed and pushed aside questions about her own future. "You are excited, right?"

He abruptly grinned. "Thrilled. Little person that looks like both of us and calls me Daddy? Hell yeah I'm excited."

"I never pictured you as the daddy type."

"I'm not really surprised," he said and gestured to the Doctor with a jerk of his chin. "Does he strike you as the daddy type?"

"Whoa."

"What? I'm not allowed to ask?"

"Just don't. Okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. You don't wanna discuss him, cool. We can talk about your mum."

"What about her?"

"She's shackin' up with another Pete Tyler. Doesn't it freak you out a little? Your mum's got a sex life... with your dad from an alternate world."

"Okay. I'm done talking with you for now. Thanks."

She hurried off without waiting for his response, though she did hear him laugh, and headed for the drinks table. While mixing up a little vodka and juice, a body sidled up beside her and bumped her hip with theirs. 

"Hey, there. Happy birthday."

She smiled. "Martha, hey. Thanks. I was just askin' 'bout you. The wedding's comin' up, isn't it?"

"A month. I sent an invite to your mum for you three. Did you not see it?"

"No, sorry. Been gone a few months. Barely get my laundry done these days."

"I remember what that's like," Martha laughed. “Your mum did RSVP, by the way. For all of you. All four of you now. You know, I was surprised when the Doctor told me about this. Are you two...?"

"Seems to be a popular subject tonight," Rose noted. "No, we're not."

Martha looked confused. "That's... not what I expected. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just... I thought... I used to hate you, you know. Fancied the Doctor myself, but he was always Rose this and Rose that. Rose, Rose, Rose. That man had stars in his eyes and it wasn't from anything in this universe. At the time, any- Oh! Oh, my God, no. Please don't tell him I told you that. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's... It's okay. Was he really like that?"

"Constantly, I swear. Mostly when we were just hanging around the TARDIS. Between you and me, that's when it was worse. You'd slip into conversation at the most random times."

"How?"

"He'd talk about needing to stock up on bananas and he'd mention the time he'd switched one of Jack's weapons for a banana back during some war, which you apparently laughed about for ages later on that night, or the time you created a chocolate-banana milkshake at two in the morning."

Rose tittered. "That was funny. Both of those times, but especially the last one. Never thought I'd see a nine-hundred-something-year-old man bounce off the walls. Literally. There was an hour long incident involving rubber walls and me laughing so hard that my tummy hurt the whole next day."

"Wish I'd seen it,” Martha said, laughing. “Then there was the time I found your room and the Doctor caught me looking inside. Sorry." Martha made a face and Rose shrugged. "I was curious. He told me to stop going where I didn't belong and then the door just melted away in front of us. It was the creepiest thing I'd ever seen on that ship."

"What?"

He'd never told her that happened. He'd mentioned Donna finding the room and her old clothes laying about the ship, yeah, but not that.

"Yeah. Oh, and God forbid I ever complain about being tired. Suddenly, it'd be all 'humans are annoyingly weak, Rose slept less than you and she was a human, you must be defective, and what are you hoping to accomplish with your life if you sleep it away?' bit."

"Oh, my God! He called you defective?"

"All the time. Then there were the countless 'Rose would know' moments. It got so bad that one day, I threatened to gag him with his own tie if he didn't shut up 'bout you. I... was feeling a bit sour. Again, sorry."

"No. I get it."

Her eyes drifted across the room and landed on the Doctor. He was talking to Jack and Shareen, his attention nearly divided equally between them and her. Almost immediately, he caught her looking and smiled widely, lifting his glass in a silent toast. She did the same with hers and she could almost imagine the sound of his happy chuckle. 

"Anyway, I didn't mean to bother you about him. My mouth's been running away from me the closer the wedding gets and I can't seem to shut myself up. It's like I caught the Doctor's gift of gab or something."

"It's fine. Did you hear Mickey's gonna be a dad?"

"No! Never would have guessed he had it in him. He hasn't mentioned it to anyone else, has he? I would've thought he'd have said something."

Rose could have kicked herself. "Crap. I don't know. I probably should've asked him before I said something."

"I won't say anything."

"Thanks. I'd feel terrible if he was trying to keep it quiet and I started babbling to everyone about it."

"Excuse me, ladies. Sorry to interrupt. Martha, would you mind if I borrowed the birthday girl?"

"Not at all."

Martha quickly excused herself and Pete directed a nervous smile at Rose. 

"What's up, Pete?"

"Can we talk privately? Just the two of us, I mean."

"Um, sure." Pete started guiding her through the crowd and she spotted her mum off in the corner talking to Martha, Jack, and Shareen. Where was the Doctor? "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to talk a moment. I promise I'll return you to the Doctor when we're done. Or, well, whomever."

"Is Mum alright?"

"She's quite alright."

"Are you alright?"

"Nervous as hell," he muttered. "I'm fine."

"Mhmm. Pete, what's going on?" He closed the door closed behind them and paced away five steps and turned back to her. "Pete?"

"Your mother is a much better woman than I ever expected to find again in my lifetime." He swallowed. "She's like my Jackie, who I truly loved, but with a touch of innocence and much more happiness to her."

"My mum? Innocent?" She blinked quickly. "I mean, yeah, course. Innocent. Please continue."

"Rose, I want to marry your mother, but I won't unless I've gotten your permission to do so." That shocked her so much, she found it hard to formulate a thought for several heartbeats. "I've been carrying this ring around for days, but Jackie talks about you daily and I realized I couldn't ask her to marry me if you weren't okay with it. If you want me to wait so you can get to know me better, that's fine. I'll do anything to make sure you're alright with... Uh, with this. With me and her, I mean."

Pete began fidgeting and she snapped out of it. 

"Yes! Ask. Permission granted. Do it tonight if you're ready 'cause I wanna see it." She matched his wide smile. "It'd make her really happy. Just know that if you hurt her, Pete, I'll push you into an exploding star in the middle of space. Don't think I won't and I won’t feel bad about it."

She would never do that, but he didn't have to know that. 

"Duly noted. Thank you, Rose. I'll escort you back...?"

"No. I'll rejoin the party in a second."

"If you're sure?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Go on without me."

He slipped back through the doors and, before they could close, someone else slipped into the darkening hallway. She slid down the wall to sit on the floor and her visitor sat beside her. 

"Hello, Rose. Are you okay?"

"Pete just asked me if he could ask Mum to marry him." The Doctor didn't look surprised and Rose snorted. "You knew."

"No, but I suspected. He's been hanging off her every word tonight and I can smell- even all the way out here- the odor of anxiety on him. Either he's planning to propose or he's done something rather rude with the next door neighbor."

"Doctor," she chided fondly. "Wait. You smelled that?"

"Keen sense of smell," he said, tapping his nose. "I smell lots of things on a daily basis."

What all did that include? Emotions? Body functions? Body odor, both good and bad? Oh, God. Could he tell when it was that time of the month for her? Blood had a smell, right? That's embarrassing! There was nothing for it. She would have to start avoiding him those few days. 

"Ehm, that's handy."

"Kind of a pain in the arse most of the time, to be honest." Rose looked at him, startled by his response, and he shrugged. "It is. Imagine being perpetually assaulted with that kind of information. He's nervous, she's brokenhearted, he has a bleeding wound, she's... sexually excited, he smells like a pig pen on a hot summer's day, she's overly fond of French perfume, he's in love, she's been crying. This smells like old milk, that smells like urine, this dish has too much paprika, that soup has not enough salt. On and on. Sure, I can ignore it, but that's how things get missed. Do you remember when we attempted to go to the Olympics?"

"Yeah... Vaguely. I thought you needed to blow your nose, right?"

"Right. Could've missed something if I ignored things." He leaned against her shoulder, wrapped an arm around her, and stole her glass. He proceeded to taste it and she thought he was going to spit the sip back in her cup. "Ugh. Nasty. Cranberry juice. I hate cranberry juice. Love cranberries, though... and bananas. Our Pucha Equa would like bananas, I think. Why wouldn't she? They're delicious. We need to pick a name for her, by the way. And I'm glad you're happy about Pete and Jackie. May I ask why you were upset earlier?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? When?"

"When you were speaking to Mickey. You were upset about something. I could tell."

"Smell?"

"That, too. What did he say to you?"

"Oh, nothing important. It's nothing."

"Clearly it's something if it upset you."

"I wasn't upset. Much. Not 'bout him. Possibly upset about something unrelated. Whatever. You remember Martha's getting married next month? We're both invited."

"Oh, no. How formal is it? Can I wear my suit or is the tux required?"

"Every time you wear that tux, something bad happens, Doctor, and I refuse to run in heels at our friend's wedding."

He grinned. "Suit?"

"Suit."

"Yes," he cried victoriously, jostled her around, and then relaxed back against the wall. "Be brutally honest. Has it been a good birthday?"

"Yeah."

"Would anything else make it better?"

Lots of things. A kiss, a certain declaration that was never finished, another kiss, maybe some skin on skin- make that lots of skin on skin- and another kiss... or just one hell of a snog... Or a shag... And maybe...

"Chocolate-banana milkshakes in our pajamas later?"

"It's a date, Rose Tyler. You're making them, though, right?"

"Can't let you, that's for sure."

"I wasn't aware the bananas were frozen enough to chip your teeth. I told you to watch the freezer, Rose, that it was highly temperamental. I would have warned you if I had known 'bout the bananas and I might remind you I took you to Klipton Nine to have it fixed the next morning. I even paid and I never pay. You delight in calling me a cheapskate so you have to know I felt terrible. Still sorry 'bout that, by the way."

"I forgave you already. Was just sayin' can't let you make 'em. Mine's better, anyway."

"Oh. True enough."

"Hey, Doctor?"

"Hmm?"

"Did the TARDIS hide my room while I was... gone?"

He sighed. "Yes. Had a problem keeping people out, people who had no right to touch your things. But it was the old girl, Rose. She hid it. Kept moving it, too. Found it in the third floor corridor one time, right down the hall from the infirmary. It was the oddest thing. Thought I was entering the supply closet and was surprised when I saw pink everywhere instead of boxes of gauze and various pieces of spare medical equipment I've picked up from 'round the universe. Swear she was laughing at me."

"Oh." A chuckle escaped her. "That's funny."

"I suppose it is now. We should return to the party. One particularly foul-minded individual inside might start spreading rumors if we don't."

"Eh, it's Jack. Anyone who knows him will probably just ignore him. You're right, though. We should return. Seems someone spent four months planning this party... and complaining about how much I sleep."

"It's an absurd amount of sleep, Rose. Who needs eight hours of sleep a night?"

"Humans. Me."

"Well, it's weird. Not normal. Annoying. No, boring. How is being unconscious any more fun than, say, possibly shopping on Kalastrade or running with the wild palaphata on Ursu?"

"It's kinda necessary, Doctor. Besides, dreams can be fun. Last night, I dreamed I was a mermaid and-" She blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Never mind."

"Oh, no! Don't do that. Don't stop yourself. I want to know. It already sounds interesting. Rose as a mermaid. Did you know on Barr- No, no, later. Tell me? Pretty please."

"Fine. I was a mermaid and I ruled this underwater kingdom that was amazing. You were in it."

"What was I? Something fearsome? Or perhaps wizened and a guardian of sorts?"

"You were a fast-swimming creature with two human heads and a bunch of tentacles and you never shut up or stopped suctioning things up to study them." His mouth opened, probably to complain, and Rose hurried on. "That's what you were and did, but you saved the kingdom from marauding sharks that had a head on each end. Could've been bad for us, but you ended up as a hero and our people welcomed you into the kingdom."

"Those poor sharks. The food waste issue would have been bad enough, but two heads? Horrible."

"You had two heads and you managed."

"So you say." He laughed after a silent moment. "Am I hero in many of your dreams?"

She fidgeted against him. "My dreams always have some sense of reality to them."

"You dreamed you were a mermaid and I had two heads."

"You've had two different faces since I've known you," she pointed out. "That's close enough."

"Ah. Fair enough." He stood and helped her up. "I would like to hear more of these fantastic dreams of yours sometime. For now, however, we should get back to your birthday party before Jack ends up defiling your friend in a dark corner and everyone eats all the cake. Plus, you know, there’s still the risk of rumors starting."

Rose perked up. "There's cake?"

"It's a birthday party. Of course there's cake. Your mother purchased it, too, so I know it's safe to eat."

Rose laughed as the Doctor opened the door. No one seemed to notice them entering, which she thought was for the best. She couldn't handle any more painful questions today about their lack of a relationship. 

"You never told me why you didn't mention Pete returning to Mum."

"Couldn't risk you wanting to pop in for a visit as soon as you found out and then having us walk in on something that'd make me get sick all over myself and possibly wish to stab my eyes out with a dull, rusty tool. Was hell keeping it from you, too."

"You wanted them to have alone time." She smiled a little smile to herself. "You're sweet, Doctor. You know that?"

"That had nothing to do with being sweet. I genuinely feared I might get sick in front of you. If there's one thing that could turn my stomach, it'd be seeing that."

"Seeing your companion's mother in a compromising situation? Has that happened before?"

"Never before cared to know my companion's mother well enough to pop in for visits. Oh, excellent! They haven't sliced the cake yet, Rose."

"Well, do it, then. I want some."

"It's your cake," he said slowly, like he was talking to an idiot. She rolled her eyes, picked up the knife laying on the table, and put it in his hands. "But-"

"I'm giving you the honors. Do it."

"Very well. I'll slice the cake, but I get the second piece. Do you hear that, you vultures?" he asked the gathering crowd. "I get the second piece."

"As you should," Jack remarked and winked at her. "Missed ya, Rosie. Where've you been, what'd you do, and who'd you do it with?"

"I was in the hall discussing something 'bout Mum with Pete and the Doctor, you pervert." Jack's knowing smirk morphed into a half-grimace and she casually added, "By the way, there's lipstick on your collar."

He jumped and pulled his shirt collar up to eye level before lowering it and mock-glaring. 

"That wasn't nice."

"Were you worried?"

"Oh..." A slow smile came to his lips. "More than I can say in polite society, yes. If you're feeling frisky, I can show you exactly why I was so worried."

"Hey, Jack," the Doctor said conversationally, “do shut up."

Jack merely laughed. 

"Has anyone seen my mum?" Rose suddenly asked. "Did she leave?"

"She mentioned something about gifts. Said she'd be back."

"Okay..." Well, Pete was still in the room so it wasn't happening yet. "Thanks, Martha."

"Welcome."

"Alright, Rose. Choose your piece."

"That... No, that one. It has little icing balloons."

"Blue ones. A familiar blue at that." The Doctor quickly served up their slices of cake and took their plates over to the windows, leaving the guests to serve themselves. "How soon do you think it would be acceptable to leave? When you wanted to, I meant."

"We could always fake an intergalactic emergency at the far reaches of the universe and cut out early.”

"Ooh. Yes, I love the way you think. Say the word and we're gone."

"Maybe more of a signal than saying something. Like... I could give you a hug. 's not obvious since we hug all the time and everyone here knows it. I bet they won't be suspicious if we leave right after doing that."

"You are positively devious and it gives me the chills." He pulled up his suit jacket sleeve as far as he could. "Look at my manly arm, Rose. Gooseflesh. You did that."

"And look at my womanly face. Bet it's saying something like 'you're ridiculous.'"

"No. I'm seeing something more along the lines of 'that gorgeous manly man is astoundingly pleasing in every way. My God.' Why, thank you, Rose. I'm beyond flattered, nigh exultant, by your appreciation."

"Prat," she said affectionately. "It didn't say anything close to that."

"That's what I saw. I'd know better than you what your face is saying right now- unless your face is being reflected back to you by something, which it isn't. Therefore, I reassert you did, in fact, make that look and no one can refute it. What's more, I wouldn't mind seeing that more in future." 

"I bet." Did that mean... She started nervously scraping icing from her cake. "Was Jack telling the truth when he said-" 

"Rose!" her mum called. "Where is she? Mickey, move your big head. I can't- There you are! Time for presents." 

Her mum would naturally interrupt when she'd finally gotten the courage to ask if Jack had been right earlier. 

"Never mind," she told the Doctor. "Silly thought. Unimportant. This should be interesting. Never gotten anything from Jack before. Not too sure I should open it here." 

"Mmm. Probably not." She stood up and walked up to a table topped with presents. The Doctor ducked behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I just want you to remember mine were better." 

"That's already been established." 

"Just reminding you." 

He squeezed her and then let go. Unfortunately. It took a while to get through everything. Shocking her, the Doctor had gotten her a pair of shoes she'd been admiring not too long ago... and they were a size five. He hadn't been lying earlier when he said he knew that. Her mum was busy putting aside the gifts she’d already opened and kept saying she’d look in a sec, but that didn’t dampen Rose’s brilliant mood. She opened the rest of her presents with a big grin on her face.

She'd barely peeked at Shareen's present before hurriedly tucking it underneath the table for later. Lacy lingerie that would have shown more skin than lace. Pfft. Yeah, she'd be wearing that soon. Sarcasm. 

She didn't even bother opening Jack's present, which everyone who knew him thought was hilarious. Her mum got her a book about what to do when planning to get pregnant. She'd tossed that behind her like it was a hot potato and someone must have caught it, because it didn't hit the floor. She also gave her a cute shirt and a soft lavender-colored jacket. Mickey unsurprisingly gave her cash. Martha gave her a rather amazing pair of jeans and shirt she'd found in a thrift shop. Her mum's friend, Bev, gave her a bag she'd found on her trip to South America last month. Andy, like she always does, gave her a bag of nail varnishes, fashion jewelery, and chocolate. Beth, Tiff, and Anne went in together on a ring with her birthstone and John- of course- gifted her an amazing outfit he'd created for her. That raised a few brows and earned him curious looks that he ignored. He was used to it. 

Finally, all the gifts were opened and she gave Pete a significant look. He swallowed, nodded, and dropped to a knee in front of her mum.

"Jackie."

"Oh, my God." 

Rose and Jackie exchanged looks. She smiled encouragingly and Pete pulled the ring out of his pocket. Her mum started crying. 

"Jackie, earlier, I told your daughter some of the reasons I want to marry you and there were many more I didn't, but they've all flown out of my head." He chuckled nervously and there were a few titters from the crowd. "I had this all planned out, things I wanted to tell you and ask you, but I find myself impatient and wanting an answer so I'll just say Jackie, will you-" 

"Yes!" Everyone laughed and someone- the Doctor. Those were the Doctor's cool hands- hugged her from behind. She leaned into him and he tightened his hold on her body. "Yes, I'll marry you." 

Pete smiled widely, happily and then he was sliding the ring onto her ring finger, standing, and kissing her. 

"And you're okay with this, Rose?"

"Yeah. 's a good birthday present." 

Jackie finally turned to her, her eyes surprisingly going over her shoulder, and she frowned. Rose mirrored her frown, wondering what she could possibly be upset about at a time like this. 

"And what 'bout you? Even Pete here gave her something. Didn't think to get Rose anything yourself?"

"Oh, I've given her many things today, Jackie. Things that you lot could never hope to best and she agreed with the sentiment.”

“I’ll bet,” Jack said and chuckled. 

“Jack, stop.”

“Like what?” Jackie asked. “What’d you give her?”

“Let's see… I planned this party. We went swimming in the 'sky' this morning and I got us a pet Pucha Equa. I made Rose into a legend- as if she wasn't already. We dined with the Hakosian king and queen. I bought her those shoes you mistakenly believed Shareen bought for her... It feels like I'm forgetting something. Rose?"

"I touched the clouds. Actual clouds." 

"Right. Yes, that's it. The clouds." 

"I got to see butterflies with clear wings, too. Don't forget those." 

"I knew you weren't kidding about a butterfly room." 

She snorted. "I was. It’s still a bad idea." 

"No fair," Jack cut in. "How are we supposed to compete with that?"

"You're not," the Doctor replied smugly. "Isn't it great?"

She rolled her eyes and her mum sighed. 

"Well, I'm glad you had a good day, Rose." 

"The greatest," she said with a secretive smile and heard a muffled snicker behind her. She felt the Doctor’s breath on her neck and swallowed. "Do we have a bag or something we could put this stuff in?"

While Martha and Shareen bagged up her gifts in one of the large bags Pete had brought for cleaning up and Jack leaned against the table talking to the three, Rose went over and hugged her mum, the Doctor following behind her like a lost puppy. 

"I'm so happy for you, Mum."

"I'm happy for myself," Jackie laughed. "And you knew he was gonna do it! Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was Pete's surprise, not mine." Rose pulled back from the hug and smiled. "And I think you have someone to thank for all of this. So go on, then."

Her mum grimaced and unwillingly turned to the Doctor. 

"I suppose I..."

"Mum, like you mean it. Think of Pete. He wouldn't be here now if it weren't for the Doctor. He could've left him, you know."

"Thank you," she said quickly. "For everything, Doctor. I do mean it. For everything you've done and will do. For me and Pete, yeah, but especially for Rose.”

The Doctor chuckled delightedly. "You're quite welcome, Jackie."

Her gifts were bagged, her mum was back to casting looks at Pete, most of the guests were working on emptying the liquor bottles at the drink tables, and the Doctor was silently staring aimlessly around the room. She decided they’d both had enough for the day. She turned to him and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug just as tightly, resting his cheek against her hair, and then jumped like he'd been shocked. Rose took that as her cue and adopted an appropriately concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

"Something..." He patted his jacket and pulled his psychic paper from the depths of one pocket. He made a show of looking at it and then quickly shoved it back where it came from. "Trouble, Miss Tyler. Sorry, but we have to go. Er, well, you can stay if you want... I can just take Jack. It's your birthday party, after all, and I don't wanna spoil your fun."

They both cast Jack a look out the corner of their eyes, noticing he was too busy flirting with Shareen to notice what was going on. Rose shook her head vehemently. 

"I'm coming with you. Sorry, everybody. There's some trouble and- well, you know. This is what we do."

"Are you sure you want to go? Like he said, he can take Jack. You don't have to leave."

"No, Mum, I'm going. This is my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not now."

Rose quickly said goodbye to everyone while the Doctor hefted her gift bag over his shoulder and moved to the doors. From there, it took no time to get out of there and back to the TARDIS, where he dropped the bag onto the ship's grating and pulled her off the ground in an impressive hug. Her toes weren't touching the floor and she clutched at him automatically. 

"You are a superb actress, Rose Tyler. All that stuff about this being your life and whatnot? I almost believed it!"

"I was being serious," she said, leaning back in his arms. "This is my life, Doctor. I'd rather be risking my life every day saving people and taking down monsters than be doing anything else."

The look he gave her- yeah, that one- nearly made her melt inside. She could just tell by that look alone how proud and happy he was. 

"My life wouldn't be the same without you." He stared at her a moment, shook his head, and put her back on her feet. "Let's get out of here first and then we can discuss our evening plans."

"Plans?"

"Yes. I believe you mentioned something about jimjams and chocolate-banana shakes." 

"And a movie?"

"I'll only agree if we can choose one together. The last time you chose, you ruined a perfectly good silk tie."

"It's not my fault you didn't warn me it was a scary movie... and how was I to know pruto berries stained that badly?"

"I told you twice. First, when I bought them and second, when you decided to eat them at the start of the movie, but it doesn't matter. All in the past and I wasn't overly fond of that tie. Much." 

"I'll buy you another tie if it makes you feel better, Doctor. How 'bout that?"

He made a face. "Ties are something women buy their fathers, Rose. I'm not your father."

"I know that. Made sense, though. Ruin a tie, replace it with another, father or not."

"And I'm definitely not." 

"Already established. You have nothing to worry about. I could never picture you as my father or anything similar, Doctor. Not even in some alternate universe where something went terribly wrong." 

"How do you picture me?"

"As you. How else? I'm, uh, gonna go change now and head to the galley to start on the bananas. Meet me there when you're done?"

She headed off without an answer, knowing he'd be there no matter what. After quickly pulling on her warmest set of pajamas and stepping into slippers to protect her feet from the grating and cold floors seemingly randomly scattered 'round the ship, she moseyed to the galley. It took the Doctor, wearing a blue and green plaid pajama set, less than five minutes to join her; he smoothly slid between her body and the counter. 

"I thought of a question while you were away from me." 

She swatted him out of the way and he moved over maybe five inches at most. 

"Good enough. Related to the game?"

"Yep." 

"Well, it's my turn. You'll have to wait." He huffed rather dramatically and she shook her head, quickly thinking. "Okay. If you had to choose between being bald for two years- our time- or living with my mum for six months, which would you choose?"

"Living with Jackie," he replied immediately. "I can't be bald. Couldn't stand to let anyone look at me like that and, let's be honest here, you'd have no choice but to live with me during that six months so it wouldn't be the single most painful six months of my life. I'd hope. We had similar thoughts, by the way." 

Always surprising her, he was. She'd been sure he'd take being bald over living with her mum. 

"How?"

"My question for you: if you had to choose between living in an underwater home for one year with me or alone in a tower room for six months, which would you choose?"

"I'm not too fond of water. Not scared, but not fond. Stuff in it... Er, how far below water and how far above ground?"

"Far enough down that there's no sunlight and far enough up that anyone passing below is nearly invisible to your eye." 

Heights and water. Possibly falling out the damned window and to her death or possibly being attacked by a sea monster and drowning. Heights and water. Heights and water. Doing it alone or being with him. 

Oh, that made it easier. 

"Underwater." 

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "You'd choose the water? You remember I said it was for a year.”

"Yup. 

"Interesting. Now my turn." 

"Will you get the chocolate out?"

"Was that my question?" He stuck his bottom lip out. "It sucks as far as questions go." 

"Doctor, that was me asking if you'd get the chocolate out. I'm thinking of your question." 

"Oh. Ooh. You know, we should feed our girl before bed tonight. She can technically last until morning, but..." 

"Yeah, yeah. Don't bother making up some terrible excuse. I know you just wanna go play with her." 

"I cannot help it. You saw her, Rose. She's a good little poochie." 

"She also can't hear you so quit talkin' like that."

"Right. Sorry. We really should think of a name for her, though. We keep calling her poochie and girl, she's gonna figure out we haven't named her. It'll hurt her feelings."

"Well, we can't have that."

"Exactly. So, Mummy, any thoughts?" 

Oh. Ohhh. Butterflies may have fluttered up through her chest and back down to her belly. Her heart also might have skipped. He'd called her mummy. How cute. 

"…I don't exactly know what to name her. I mean, I always wanted a puppy named Milly, but it doesn't quite seem to fit a dogfish." 

"Bit boring, too. How about Shafwaq?"

"Uh, why?"

"It roughly means- actually, never mind. I just realized the translation's a different meaning for a certain word. Apologies. Let's just stick with Earth names, alright?"

"Good idea. English, too. Queen Kong?"

"Rose! That's offensive." She could see the far corner of his mouth curling up, despite his words, and she winked at him. "Erm, names from Earth. Earth names. Human. English. Urrrr... Roxy?"

"Princess." 

"Bella." 

"How 'bout Flipper?"

"That's not a dog name and I refuse to call her Flipper. It's just not nice." 

"She's a fish, not a dog, Doctor. Precious?"

"You want to name a magnificent Pucha Equa, a regal descendant of the Puchamaka, something as inane as Precious. Are you serious?" 

"Well, you're the one who keeps saying how cute, good, and adorable she is. Why not Precious?"

"It's not really a fishy name." 

"Fine. Angel."

"As in fish? Oh, someone thinks they're so funny." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Useless at this, you are. How did you ever come up with your baby names if this is the best you can do?"

"I liked 'em. Show me you can think of something better." 

"Alright, I will."

"And if you say anything like Fishy Wishy or Bubbles, I can't be held accountable for any laughing I might do in your face." 

"Noted. You're a really mean human, by the way. Have I ever told you that?"

"Yeah." 

"How do you manage to fit so much meanness into such a small body? Might have to tell me one day. Now let's see... A name." 

"Not Jaws, either, or Poochie Woochie." 

"Ye of little faith. Marly?" 

"We could be ironic and name her Dinky."

"Or not. Aquarius? References to the sky and water, plus a part of a phrase signifying peace."

"Better, but I wouldn't wanna keep calling her Aquarius. I'd want a nickname and can you think of one?"

"Humans. Always shortening their names. Please tell me Rose isn't short for something." 

"No, it's not. What about Baby? Short and sweet." 

"And very unoriginal. Not to mention it sounds like we didn't put any effort into naming her. How would you feel if you were her?"

"Do you realize how weird this is? We're in the middle of the kitchen in our pajamas, I'm making milkshakes, and we're arguing over a pet dogfish's name." 

He blinked. "So? She needs a name, Rose." 

Well, huh.

"Alright. I've made up my mind. We'll name her Aquarius, but I'll call her Ria or something for short. Happy?"

"Yes. Very happy, in fact. As I only briefly mentioned, Aquarius is a constellation seen from Earth, the sign being called the Water-bearer or Water-carrier. Stars and water? Perfect. Then there's the phrase 'Age of Aquarius,' which many believe signifies peace and harmony and our girl is a very peaceful poochie. There's also the Latin aquarius, 'of water,' a noun meaning water carrier... Close enough in my book. It's absolutely perfect." He paused and ducked down to look into her eyes. "But are you happy with that name? If you're not, we can keep going." 

"No, it's fine. It's already growing on me. Ria. Baby Ria. Ew, no. Poochie Rius. Ooh. Rius! Yeah?" The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head, looking both indulgent and exasperated. "Oh, stop. You basically picked the name, you get to deal with my nicknames." 

"May I ask, since you seem to enjoy nicknames so much, Rosie," he said pointedly "Jack is ridiculous, incidentally. Rosie indeed. Anyways, since you seem so fond of nicknames, how on Earth are you going to come up with one for Eric or Jude?"

"I'm not. That's why I chose those names. He'll be my Eric and she'll be my Jude. If I need to, I'll just use their first and middle names together. That's how I knew I was in trouble growing up. It's how they'll know, too." 

"Makes sense, I suppose. What happens if you have all boys or all girls?"

"I'll have to think up more names. Shouldn't be too hard." 

"Prove it. Think up a girl name right now." 

"Uh... Okay.” Rose put her weight on one hip and thoughtfully looked at him. “A girl name. A girl name I like. Mind grabbing the ice cream from the freezer? The banana." 

"I remember. Think, think." 

"A girl name... Oh, Joyce. It's pretty." 

The Doctor handed her the carton of ice cream and leaned against the counter once more. 

"Will this child not have a middle name? That's odd, you know. Middle names. You humans are exceedingly weird."

"You're one to talk." He childishly blew a raspberry and she giggled. "Can't guarantee I wouldn't change it closer to the birth, but Joyce... Eileen maybe. Joyce Eileen. I could live with that, I think. Don't know. I'd have to think about it some more, I guess." 

"Hmm. You're much better at choosing names for a child than a pet." 

"Like you could do better." 

"I could." 

"Then do it. Boy name. Right now. First and middle and you better make sure they sound good together. Also, something a nickname can’t be made for. Human names.”

He snorted. "Easy. Josh Lucas. Connor Maxwell. Sam William. Owen David. Adam Alexander. Reece Edward. Chris Michael. What is that, seven? I could keep going if you'd like." 

"Fine. Girls." 

"Oh, much easier. Amy Nicole. Amber Grace. Allie Megan. Chloe Rebecca. Sarah Abigail. Shannon Paige. Scarlet Imogen. Anne Madison. That's eight off the top of my head. I could think of more." Rose pulled two large cups from the cupboard, feeling a tad sulky for being proven wrong so spectacularly, and the Doctor nudged her. "Rooose." 

"Yeah?"

"Smile. I know you can." She did, shaking her head at the strange little shimmy he did in response. "Much better. Now, I believe we were playing a game and it was your question. We're at nine each so far and it is called 21 Questions. We can't stop now." 

"If you insist." 

She stuck a red and white striped straw in both cups and handed one to the Doctor. 

"Oh, goody!" He eagerly grabbed it and took a long pull. "Rose Tyler. That's all I need to say. Well, I also need to say I think we need to institute chocolate-banana shake nights. Say, at least once a month, we put on our jimjams and snuggle on the sofa with a movie and our shakes. Would that be acceptable?" 

"Only if you get the freezer fixed so we don't risk the chipped tooth by banana situation ever again." 

"And we choose the movie together." 

"And the cuddling has to be worth it," she hesitantly added. "It's always better with a person instead of a pillow, you know... so... maybe we could do it with each other?" 

"Deal!" he said excitedly, bouncing in place. "Oh, this is wonderful. We have a shake night now." 

Rose giggled. "Yeah, we do." 

"It has truly been an excellent day, Rose. Happy birthday. Again. Shall we stop and tell our girl she officially has a name before watching our movie?"

"You have to feed her. She doesn't have anything to eat in there. Not like before." 

"You're right." 

He grabbed an entire bunch of bananas from the counter and headed out of the room. Of course he'd think bananas were an acceptable food for a giant dog-like fish. After rolling her eyes, she took a package of sausage from the fridge and followed after him. The look on his face, when he finally saw what she was carrying, was priceless. 

"Problem, Doctor?"

"Don't humans usually cook that first?"

"Yes." 

"...so why are you carrying raw meat around?"

"It's for Aquarius. Not everything in the universe likes or can survive on bananas alone, you know." 

"We'll see. You never asked me your next question." 

"Oops. Got busy, didn't we?" He nodded and turned into another corridor. "If you could switch bodies with anyone for a day, who would it be?"

"What do you mean? Would I have control of their actions or would I be living through everything they usually do?"

"To make it interesting, you'd be doing everything they do without being able to control things. Which would suck if they happen to have a boring job or were eight months pregnant or something." They both laughed at the thought and Rose gently elbowed him after a moment. "So who would it be?"

"Oh, probably you. It'd be interesting to see how a woman spends her day and, by choosing you, I wouldn't have to worry about a boring job or an advanced pregnancy." 

What had that look been about?

"Or any pregnancy." 

Did he seem relieved? It’d been too long for any possible baby to be his so what the hell?

"Good. Yes. There's also the added joy of knowing you're doing everything I usually do in a day and you have no control of it. In the night, I'd be off sleeping and you'd be utterly bored, having no choice but to watch my hands tinker. Damn. How I wish it were possible to switch bodies. It'd be an adventure! I wonder if I could create technology that does just that.”

"Anybody else and I'd think you only said a woman 'cause you'd planned to be a pervert about it." 

"Why did you say ‘anybody else’ just now? You don't think I'd take a peek?"

Rose stumbled, but he thankfully didn't see. 

"Would you?"

"Most likely. I've never been a woman. Be a bit odd to look down and see myself with a pair of breasts and certain parts I'd never had before." 

"What?"

"You cannot say you wouldn't do the same. A woman waking up in the body of a man, with all those bits and bobs she'd never personally had attached to her body. Really? You wouldn't look? Don't lie to me. You'd look. I know you’d look.”

"I'd have to when I went to pee... or got dressed. Make sure everything's where it's s'posed to be." 

"Hmm, no, I don't think those'd be the only times, Miss Tyler. I know you, remember? You'd look. Probably every chance you got." 

Mm, no, this wasn’t a blush. The temperature of the entire ship must have ratcheted up a thousand degrees, that’s all.

"Your turn." 

He let out an odd-sounding chuckle. "Very well. In the next five years, what do you hope to do with your life?"

"Uh, saving the universe when needed sounds like a good idea." 

"No, I meant other than that. Do you hope to marry? Have children? I don't know, strand your mother on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Anything like that." 

"I suppose so, yeah. Not that bit 'bout my mum. I do want kids." 

"And marriage? What of that?"

"Not very important to me, though Mum'd lose it if I ever told her that.” She peeked at him. “Nothin' against marriage or anything. It's just if I find the right person..." 

"What do you mean?"

"Why bother with the formalities, you know, especially since I spend all my time off Earth? If I know we love each other just as much as a happily married couple love each other, why should I go through the trouble of having a wedding? 's not like our relationship is any less significant if I don't have his ring on my finger. A little talk 'bout what our relationship means to us and I'd be happy." 

"Admirable thinking, but what would you do if he wanted a wedding? Would the relationship suffer 'cause he wanted something different than you?"

"I don't know. Honestly, with my life, I wouldn't have time to plan a wedding correctly and I can't imagine he would be comfortable doing all the work and hoping I actually arrive on the right day at the right time, you know? It wouldn't be very fair, either." 

“Okay, I see what you’re saying, but let’s say this man believed planning your wedding by himself was worth it. Would you marry him, then?”

What the hell was he trying to get out of this? She didn’t plan on marrying anyone, because the only man she was interested in would literally run away from the mere suggestion of marriage. 

“It depends.”

“On?”

“That man would know I think marriage is unnecessary. I’d tell him. Right?”

She had told him, in fact. 

“Yes, he would know. I meant I assume he would, yes.”

Back to her hypothetical man, then. Sigh.

“Right. So if we really loved each other and he was still willing to plan a wedding all by himself, I’d have to wonder why. His reasoning for getting married might sway my answer.”

His head cocked to the side. “How so?”

“If he was doing it just to be able to say I’m his wife and others can’t touch me, then my answer would be no. If he was doing it ‘cause he couldn’t imagine anything greater or more romantic than me wearing his ring and him wearing mine for the rest of our lives, like all he wants is a daily reminder that we love each other, my answer would be an emphatic yes. Without a doubt, you know?”

"Mmm. You've thought about this before, haven't you?"

"Maybe." 

"Before you met me, what did you think about marriage?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. I'd like to know how much you've changed." 

"Too bad. You have to wait for your next turn 'cause that sounds like a different subject." 

"Gonna have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid. We're here." He grinned, opened the door to Pool Six, and strolled inside. Aquarius rollicked around a moment and then drifted to the edge of the pool. The Doctor squatted down and rubbed his hand across her wet snout. "Hello, there, you good, good girl. You're such a pretty girl. Mummy and Daddy picked out your name. Isn't that exciting?"

She reared back a little and let out her odd seal-like bark. Rose rubbed her chest, willing away the fluttering. 

"You're gonna get wet, Doctor." 

"Oh, she wouldn't purposefully-" Yeah, she would. She did. Rose made a face and started wringing out her once comfortable and once very dry pajamas. The Doctor just grinned, shrugged, and sat on the edge, his pajama-clad legs dipping into the water. "I'm sure that was just an accident. My good girl wouldn't- oh, you want a banana? Does my sweet girl want a banana?"

"Or do you want some sausage?" Rose chimed in, ripping the package open. Deciding it didn't matter if she got any more wet, since she was dripping a steady stream, she sat cross-legged beside the Doctor and held out a sausage. Right before Aquarius noticed, she glanced at him. "She's not gonna eat my hand, is she?"

"Nope. Might nip a bit, but that's all. Just like a puppy, that one."

"Uh, a nip from something that big-" She choked back a shriek of surprise and forced a smile to her lips. Little bit of a nip there, yeah, but she wasn't bleeding. That was good. Aquarius butted at her hand and Rose snagged the half-pulverized banana from the Doctor's hand before holding it out to the dogfish. "Looks like she does like it." 

"Told you. If you hadn't opened the sausage, she'd still be eating it. See, Rose, bananas are good."

"I know. So is meat. Speaking of..." Rose rinsed her slimy hand in the pool and grabbed another piece of sausage. "Here you go, you good girl. Perhaps soon your daddy will get around to tellin' you your name." 

"Oh! Right. We named you Aquarius, you little poochie baby." 

"For the sky and the water and peace." 

"Correct. And your mother gave you a ridiculous nickname. You should be ashamed of her, you know. Go on, splash her to show your distaste." 

"It's not a ridiculous nickname and you stop encouraging her.” He grinned unrepentantly and Rose handed over the sausages. “Here, feed her. Make yourself useful. My shake's melting and yours is already gone." 

"I am always useful, Rose. To tell me to make myself useful, I would first have to be-" 

"Just do it so I can finish. Please and thank you." 

"Alright," he said, drawing the word out, and held out a link of sausage to Aquarius. "Do you want it? Huh? It's tasty... You know it is. Oh, no. First do a trick, pretty girl." Aquarius rolled to one side and clapped her fins together, making Rose giggle. "You're so clever! Look at you. Here you go. No, easy. You almost took my finger, Aquarius." 

"Maybe you shouldn't have teased the poor thing." 

"This morning, you were terrified of her. Now, you're siding with her? Being hungry is no reason to try to eat your father's finger. Not even human children do that and they can be downright barbaric sometimes.”

"Well, I'd take your finger, too, if I was hungry and you teased me with sausage. That's just mean." 

The Doctor’s brows rose and he looked over at her quickly.

"Sorry?" 

"What?" 

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'd take your finger, too, if I was hungry and you teased me with sausage. That is what you were doing and… Oh." 

He made this adorable, crinkly-nosed face and looked at her. 

"It just hit you, didn't it?"

"Yeah." There was a beat of absolute silence between them and then they were both chuckling under their breath and pretending the other wasn't doing the same. Perverts, the both of them. Rose sipped the last of her shake up and stacked her cup in the Doctor's. "My question, right?"

"Make it good."

“It is. Not that it’d happen, but given the choice between crashing on an uninhabited planet and trying to fix the TARDIS with whatever you find there or living with dozens of cats for a year, what would you choose?”

“That’s horrifying! I can’t even imagine it.”

“You have to choose,” she giggled and Aquarius floated off. “What would it be, Doctor?”

“Depends.” He sighed and leaned back on his palms. “Do I have company, are there bananas, and will the cats try to harm me?”

“Probably, I suppose, and most likely. Cats have claws, remember?”

“I can’t even… Rose, it’s impossible to choose. If I crash on the planet, I run the risk of not finding the materials I need to fix the old girl. If I live with the cats, I’m doomed. Really, either way, I’m doomed. Why would you ask a question like that?”

“To see you squirm, of course. Come on now. Choose one.”

“…cats. Maybe I could train them.”

“I thought you’d say that. Just wanted to hear it.”

“I have to think of a difficult question for you now. Give me a moment.”

“Take all the time you need.”

He nodded and she spent the next few minutes watching Aquarius lazily swim around. He eventually sat up and snapped his fingers. 

“I’ve got it! If you were to find out tomorrow morning that you’re pregnant-”

“That’d be impossible.”

“Rose, just go with it.”

“Fine.”

“Good. If you were to find out tomorrow morning that you’re pregnant, would you return to your mother’s flat to live out the rest of your life with your child or would you stay on board and resume our adventures after you birthed your child? Obviously, the child would remain here, as well, were you to choose the latter.”

How cruel of him to ask something like that. 

“Well, I’d have to go home, right? You wouldn’t want a pregnant lady on board, getting in the way and complaining and eating everything before you can and eventually going into labor at probably the most inconvenient moment possible.”

“Taking me out of it for a moment, what would you do? Or, rather, what would you want?”

Did he really not know what she’d want?

“I’d wanna stay. Someone’d have to stay with the baby when we’re out saving people or whatever, but I’d wanna keep doing this. A baby wouldn’t change that.”

“Would you really?”

“Well, yeah.”

“I’d want that, too, you know. Baby or no, I couldn’t imagine a better person to have around. You, Rose Tyler, are it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Again he’d surprised her. 

“Just you remember that. In case it happens one day, I mean.”

“I won’t forget. Promise. My turn.”

“Alright. Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been? If it’s Hakos or Morago, the next coolest place.”

“Hmm. I’d have to say that’d be the planet Falsoon in the Arkron System, home of the Jettamon people. It’s one of my favorite places to visit, though I haven’t gone in almost a hundred years.”

“Tell me about it?”

“Gladly. The Jettamon have covered Falsoon in occupation houses. They’re everywhere, spread across the whole planet, and not one house is the same. The Jettamon don’t even have to live near their house. They developed teleportation long ago when they realized the planet couldn’t survive if the people were all bunched together near their occupational houses. The technology house is my favorite, you know. I think you’d like the fashion house the most, though the astronomy house might be fun.”

She smiled. “Sounds great. What else?”

“The libraries. Oh, the libraries, Rose. They’re… nearly as great as mine. There are three massive libraries on the planet, all containing different literature. Then there’s the orphanage, which is the only orphanage on Falsoon, but it’s well taken care of. It’s a lovely place. You know, there are two ruling families, too. They both work well together keeping peace among the people. If I’m not mistaken, they don’t live particularly close to one another, but they do have weekly meetings so everyone’s on the same page. It’s remarkable, really. You humans should establish something of the same.”

“Did you say there’s an orphanage?”

“I did. See, there’s an old law that states each household is to have no more than twelve children. Were a husband and wife to have a thirteenth child… well, by decree, that child would need to go to the orphanage. They would be breaking the law by keeping it. Young mothers may also put their baby into the orphanage without question or records.”

“That’s horrible.”

“It sounds worse than it is. Keep in mind the people of Falsoon rarely have more than four children, Rose. They’re too busy advancing their society to worry about having many children. In the rare case that a family does surpass a dozen, the child rarely spends more than a handful of days in the orphanage. Much like on Earth, some couples cannot conceive children of their own, either due to sterility or problems carrying the child to term. Which, by the way, is an interesting subject.”

“Okay, which part? The sterility or carrying to term?”

“Uh, the latter. Why would I think talking about sterility is interesting?”

“I don’t know,” she said defensively and he looked at her, brows drawn together and lips flattened. “Quit giving me that look. I just thought that’s what you were saying.”

“Right. I wasn’t, but as I was saying before, carrying to term is an interesting subject when talking of the Jettamon. You humans carry a babe for nine months, correct?” 

He said babe. How cute.

“So they say, yeah. If you count the weeks, though, it’s like ten or something.”

“Is it really?”

“Yeah.”

His brows drew back down and his mouth curled into a rather spectacular frown. He looked so confused. 

“If you carry a babe for ten months, why do you people say nine?”

Score. He’d said it again. 

“I don’t really know, but maybe it’s ’cause ten’s too much. Too long, you know. Lot of women can’t handle thinking about it being that long. Nine just comes and goes a lot faster.” He hid a smirk and she briefly wondered what that was about. “I mean, what woman wants to be pregnant ten months when she can just as easily think of it as nine months?”

“Right, yes, but I still don’t understand the whole nine, ten confusion. What’s that all about?”

Were they talking about babies too much today? Should she be worried she was just now thinking that?

“I think it’s ‘cause doctors say to count weeks you’re probably not pregnant as being the start of a pregnancy. At least, that’s what Beth’s mum told her when she thought she was pregnant a couple years ago and Beth’s mum works for a doctor so she’d know.”

“Hmm. Interesting. You know, it’s exciting when I learn something I didn’t already know. I’ll have to read up later about this human pregnancy business. Anyway, back to the point. I asked, because the Jettamon people may be like humans, but their pregnancies only last a few months.”

“What?”

“Indeed. The babes fit into the palm of my hand.” He held up one of his hands and compared it to hers. “Tiny little things, they are. The tip of my index finger to that first knuckle. See that?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s about the size of their feet.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. And they’re healthy?”

“Yes. Completely. They’re meant to be born that small, Rose.”

“And they’re only as big as your palm,” she marveled, holding his hand palm up and trying to imagine a miniature baby lying there. “That’s adorable. I want to see one someday.”

“Oh, it’s very adorable. They are adorable and I will take you to visit soon, but you can’t have one. Remember that. I say no.”

“I didn’t say I wanted one.”

“I know that, Rose. I’m not imagining things.” He snorted and pulled his hand away, standing and pulling her up with him. “I am telling you ahead of time that the answer is no. It’s one thing if you birth a babe of your own and another thing entirely if you adopt an alien and bring it on board.”

“Doctor, I’m not gonna-”

“Yes, you will. Trust me on this, Rose. You’ll see one and instantly want a Jettamon. Might even try convincing me it’d be a good idea, but I’m telling you it won’t be and I won’t allow it.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go change now before you suggest anything else that’s just as crazy.”

“It’s not crazy. Until you’ve seen one, Rose, you can’t stand there and tell me you know how you’d react.”

“Right. We’ll meet in the media room, alright?”

He held up his hands in defeat, shook his head, and headed for his bedroom. She watched until he disappeared from sight and then turned for her own room. 

Sure, babies were cute when they weren’t screaming for one thing or another, but she wasn’t ready for any of that yet. She felt she was still too young to be responsible for something that fragile and, no matter how cute a baby might be, she knew she’d remember that when they visited Falsoon. Why would he even say something about it?

When she finally rejoined him, he was sprawled out on the sofa, leaving just a little bit of room for her at one end. She rolled her eyes, scooted his bare feet away from her cushion, and sat down. 

“I love that nightgown, Rose. It’s a pretty shade of purple. So what sounds good? Horror, thriller, a not-too-sappy romance?” he asked and his toes nudged against the cloth covering her upper thigh. “Ooh, it’s soft, too. Documentary? Foreign? Drama? We could watch a comedy.”

“Or a rom-com.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Romantic comedy. Rom-com. I’d get romance, we’d both get comedy. Win-win.”

“Rose, I don’t know that I’ll be able to handle that.”

“You can watch a romance and a comedy, but you don’t think you can watch a rom-com? You’re insane. You should at least try it first.”

“Very well,” he agreed dubiously. “You can pick it out since I’ve no opinion.”

“How magnanimous you are tonight.” 

“Aren’t I always?”

She snorted, quickly chose a movie she’d discovered in a thrift shop when they attended Jack’s fortieth birthday, and settled back on the couch. Speaking of, that had been hilarious. They’d shown up at Jack’s “fortieth” birthday and he hadn’t even blinked when she said they couldn’t come so they were attending. Jack had merely rolled his eyes, called them a pair of punks, and squeezed the breath from her. They’d all shopped around a local thrift shop afterwards and she’d laughed so hard when she saw the DVD half-buried under a bunch of other movies. She couldn’t resist buying the movie- 

Oh, right. The movie. This was only the second movie she’d ever seen with this actor- had actually forgotten all about him, truth be told- and she was eager to hear what the Doctor would say when he saw who it was. Rather, what he looked like. 

“Hey, Doctor,” she said quickly, getting his attention while she blindly navigated the title menu. “Give it… thirty minutes.”

His expression screwed up. “Fifteen.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Twenty and no more.”

“Done!”

He grinned and wiggled around until he was comfortable. She felt like pointing out the way he’d snuck his feet into her lap had been oh so NOT SLY, but he didn’t give her much of a chance to. 

“That bloke looks like me!” Suspicious eyes turned to her. “Exactly how much did you affect my last regeneration, Rose?”

“I wasn’t aware I had a say in how you turned out.”

“You did. I became like this ‘cause of you. Is he the reason why?”

“Doubt it.”

She had only just recently remembered who the guy was, after all. 

“Who is he, then?”

“David Tennant,” she said, blushing. “He’s handsome, isn’t he?”

He sniffed disdainfully. “Bit old.”

“Oh, he is not.” She paused the movie and turned to him. “He’s younger than you, you know, and I don’t think you’re old.”

“I’m a tad over nine-hundred.”

“So?”

“So.” His eyes focused on the screen again and narrowed. “He’s not as attractive as some I’ve seen. Especially not compared to me. I’m much more handsome than him.”

“W-what?” She stared at him in astonishment. “You look exactly the same, you dolt!”

“Far from it. He’s… old and is unhandsome-"

"That's not even a word."

"-and his hair… Lord, his hair. I’m better in every way. Go ahead. Do a comparison.”

Seriously?

“He’s also married, I think.”

She wasn’t looking at him, but she still felt him straighten. She wondered how he’d take that information. 

“Oh. Weeeeeell, that’s terribly interesting.” 

He sounded like his mood had miraculously improved and she tried not to giggle.

“He’s also not a Time Lord with an awesome TARDIS that travels through time and space and saves my life when I’m in trouble,” she said calmly, turning the movie back on. “There’s no competition, I should think.”

“Huh. You know, I don’t think this fellow is too bad, now that I think about it. Look at him, Rose. He’s statuesque and commands the eye in his scenes. Hmm. Well done, Mr. Tennant.”

“Like him, do you?”

“I do, I think. You?”

“Oh, yeah. A lot.” She winked and his jovial grin faded. “What’s not to like? He’s a bit more than handsome, has that sexy voice, and his bum… Yep.”

He harrumphed. “Please keep that sort of information to yourself. Thanks.”

“And then there’s his hands. Hands like those are perfect for holding… and stuff.”

“Where’s this movie set? Do you have the film box?”

“Nah. Put it somewhere over there.” She waved her hand in a random direction. “He also wears this suit in the movie, his wedding suit. You’ll see it later. Love a man in a suit. Looks put together and-”

“Rose, please. Trying to watch this sod make a mess of things here. I can already tell he’s gonna do something wrong.”

“And why do you say that?”

His brows lifted. “He has this look to him. Not to be trusted, that one.”

Was he jealous? She stayed quiet for a while, only occasionally glancing at the slightly sour expression on the Doctor’s face, and grinned when the twenty minute mark came and went. They were still watching the movie. He totally liked it. Or was sizing the actor up. Whatever. 

“But it’s the weirdest thing, Doctor.”

He sighed. “What is?”

“He reminds me of someone I know.”

“He does?” The Doctor snorted. “Of course he does. He reminds you of me. We look exactly alike, Rose. Really, that was a ridiculous thing to say.”

Humph. Okay, so he’d just spoken the point she’d been trying to make earlier and… nothing. Maybe he wasn’t jealous, after all. Maybe she’d just been annoying him by talking. Best let it go, then. 

“The movie’s still playing and it’s been longer than twenty minutes.”

“Yes.”

“You like it, don’t you?”

“No. I’m merely confirming my suspicions.”

“What?”

“I want to see if I’m right about the plot of the movie.” He snagged the remote from her hand, paused the movie, and turned to fully face her. “I think I have it all figured out. In fact, I’m so certain I know what’s going to happen, I’d be willing to bet on it.”

“Oh, you would, would you?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s hear it, then.”

“First, our characters. We have James a.k.a. John. Almost immediately, we find out he’s the very definition of a fraud, clearly doesn’t care too much about his busty blonde fiancée, and is a very unthankful jerk. Not even a passing nod to that poor man, after all of his work. He also offered to marry his lady in space or in Atlantis, both of which are unrealistic locations for both of them. So, he’s a bit of an idiot, too. Next, Lara Tyler. She’s an actress, could possibly be a diva if she doesn’t get what she wants, and has a violent streak, which we saw whenever she lost her temper and chased down a photographer with a blunt object in hand. And then there’s Katie. Mousy brown hair, clearly suffering the heartbreak of another failed relationship, claiming she’s swearing off men while also coming onto our main male character. Oh, that’s funny. I just realized. Poor little shop-girl living with her mother. Her conniving, greedy, unbearable mother. Sound familiar?”

“Yeah, I get it. You don’t like my mum. What do you think’s gonna happen?”

“Well, it’s quite obvious. Katie ends up with James a.k.a. John in the end. It is a romance. I’m not going to definitively say this happens, as well, but I suspect crazy stalker camera guy has already developed feelings for Lara or vice versa. It would be a very romantic genre type move for them to end up together, too.” He sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “How did I do?”

Rose sighed. Stupid Time Lords think they know everything. 

“I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“So I’m right. Ha. Knew it. I’m going to run to the galley, but by all means, continue here. I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

She waved him off and, once he’d left and the movie was again playing, she stretched out across the sofa. She really didn’t expect him to come back, not after he’d ruined the movie for himself. Another large chunk of the movie passed before she heard faint creaking first behind and then beside her. To her surprise, she saw two very familiar plaid-covered thighs, then two hands holding mugs of something steamy, and she looked further up to the Doctor’s amused expression. 

“If you plan to lie there the rest of the movie, mind if I… you know? ‘Cause I would like my seat back.”

“I didn’t think you were coming back. Sorry.”

“No, don’t sit up. It’s quite alright.” He put their mugs on the table, maneuvered onto the couch, settled her cheek against his leg, fixed her hair, and then grinned at her. “Looked like you needed a pillow. I’ve brought hot chocolate, by the way. I think you skimped on the chocolate in our shakes, because I really wanted more.”

This was new. Wonderful. Frickin’ fantastic. She’d never done this before, had her head in his lap, and he didn’t even seem uncomfortable. 

“I think you’re just developing a huge sweet tooth. Are one of those actually for me?”

“Course. Mind yourself a moment,” he warned and leaned forward to grab their mugs. “Ehm, might need to sit up long enough to drink yours, Rose, now I think about it. I don’t much fancy a hot beverage to the lap.”

“Right. Er, thanks.”

Hiding her displeasure, because he was right, she made herself comfortable and clutched her drink with both hands. She might have shifted closer to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. In fact, she might’ve scooted right against his side. Again, no reaction. Huurm. 

“What’ve I missed?”

“They’re married. Some other stuff happened, but that’s the big thing. It was an accident, of course, but it definitely happened.”

“Interesting.” He shook his right arm out and then stretched it along the back of the couch, holding his mug with his left hand. “By the way, I checked on Aquarius while I was gone.”

“Is she okay?”

“Think we might have worn the poor thing out today. She’s still floating on her back in the middle of the pool. She barely flapped a fin when I opened the door.”

She giggled. “Poor big baby.”

“Mmm. She is. Ah, I see our James and Katie have already fallen in like. Excellent. Have I missed the part where Lara or the camera guy realize they love the other?”

“Shh. You’ve already ruined the ending for yourself. Don’t ruin the rest of it, too.”

He shook his head in exasperation and they both quietly focused on the movie. When she’d finished her drink, which was more chocolaty than usual, she spent forever debating whether or not she wanted to resume using his leg as a pillow. She finally decided to go for it and held her breath, waiting for some reaction. All he did was finish off his drink and chuckle at the screen. Had he really not noticed?

She was certain he hadn’t and relaxed into the cushions to finish the rest of the movie. His fingers abruptly moved to her hair and slowly combed through the strands. She didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid he’d realize what he was doing and stop, because surely he wasn’t doing that on purpose. 

Didn’t really matter either way. It felt great, soothing. Too soothing. She blinked and, the next thing she knew, the credits were rolling. She’d missed a good bit of the movie. God, had she fallen asleep?

“Ah, I see you’re awake. It was cruel of you to pick a rom-com and then fall asleep on me. I couldn’t even get up to change it.”

“Sorry.” She forced herself to sit up and rubbed at her eyes. “Did you not like it, then?”

“It was alright, I suppose. James a.k.a. John redeemed himself and I was so right about the plot, but it’s not the same watching any sort of romantic movie if one of us is sleeping… and talking in her sleep, I might add. I wasn’t aware you liked banana cream pie so much.”

She blushed. “Are you having me on right now?”

“Not at all. Made me hungry, actually. Do you wish to go to bed yet?”

“No. I’m feeling wide awake… and hungry, too.”

“Excellent. Let’s go find something to eat,” he said as he stood and helped her up. “Also, we’re still playing a game and I’d like to finish that up before you head off for too many hours of unconsciousness and forget we were playing in the first place.”

“Ha ha, the weak human requires sleep every night so let’s make fun of her. You’re so funny.”

“You know me so well.”

She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress a laugh. He was too cute and he knew it. 

Wait. 

No, no. Wait a second. 

Jimjams/comfy clothes? Check. Food? Check. Talking/playing 21 Questions? Check. Oh, God, that was her idea of a perfect date. She’d told him just a few hours ago, right before her surprise birthday party! 

Question was: did he think it was a date or was she being silly? She couldn’t ask, though. If he didn’t think of it as a date, she’d make things awkward by asking. And if he did think of it as a date, wouldn’t he have already said something about it being a date? Maybe said something about him being much better than her ex-boyfriends?

No, yeah, he definitely would have said something like that by now. So definitely not a date for him. Well, it might not be one to him, but it sure as hell was for her. Nothing he said was gonna change her mind, either. She was about to have her idea of a perfect date and he wouldn’t ruin that for her. 

They entered the galley and both moved to the fridge. She picked out things for a salad and set them on the counter. Upon seeing what she had, he grabbed leftover egg noodles, her homemade Alfredo sauce, and the package of chicken she’d set out earlier that morning. He hummed under his breath while chopping up the chicken, threw the chunks into a frying pan, washed his hands, and moved further down to the counter to assemble the salad.

They had a system by now. Well, actually, she had given him a simple rule to follow. He could help her prepare dinner and everything, but when it came to actually cooking anything, he wasn’t allowed to touch a thing. The first and only time he’d tried to cook, he literally set the stove on fire- Twice. It happened TWICE in the same night- and gave her a panic attack. 

She concentrated on frying up the chicken and warming the noodles and sauce together in another pan. He tossed chopped tomatoes, onions, and cheese in with their lettuce. When that was done, he hopped up on the counter and smiled at her. 

“Well, it took me a while to think of a good question, but I finally got it.”

“I was wondering if you’d forgotten.”

Definitely a date for her. 

“I didn’t. I was simply trying to think of something really good to ask. Only have nine more questions, you know. I’ve gotta make ’em count.”

She laughed. “I’m waiting.”

“I’m asking,” he replied sassily. “Rose Tyler, if I offered you the choice between visiting Atlantis or setting up a safe area so we could camp out overnight on the moon, which one would you choose?”

“ATLANTIS IS REAL? Or, um, was real?”

“Yes.”

“And we could actually camp out on the moon?”

“Yes again.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He grinned widely. “What would it be, Rose? Atlantis or the moon?”

“Is it out of the question to say both?”

He laughed. “You have to choose, silly girl.”

“Damn. Um…” She bit her lip and stirred the chicken. “That’s really hard. Like impossibly hard, Doctor. Good job on the question, by the way.”

“Thank you. So?”

“If I could only choose one, I’d have to say… Atlantis. Camping on the moon sounds exciting, but I’ve always wondered what Atlantis was like or if it was even real.”

“It’s real alright. You might say it’s… extraterrestrial, in fact.”

“Wha- Aliens. I should have known. Are they still there on Earth?”

“On and below, yes.”

“Awesome. Wow. I can’t… And no one’s ever suspected or seen them?”

He actually giggled! Not laughed, but giggled. That was the cutest sound he’d ever made and she wished she’d been able to record it. 

“Humans are oblivious creatures. Granted, most of the Atlantians have gone underwater now and none of you can see well in water, especially in murky water, but… Well, I say oblivious, but there have been sightings. You lot usually put it down as something from a fairy tale. Whatever fits the situation. They assimilate their form based upon thought, if that makes sense.”

“Uhm, could you explain?”

“Okay. If a sailor sees something in the middle of the ocean, something that doesn’t make sense to him, he assumes it’s a mermaid. Atlantians are gifted with a form of advanced telepathy, you see. It’s only the blink of an eye and, suddenly, that sailor is seeing the mermaid he expected instead of the Atlantian’s true form.” He paused, eyes on the ceiling. “They’re kinda like giant slugs. Slimy. ‘s gross. Anyways, another example. You’re a young girl walking home through the woods-”

“If this is heading in the direction of the big bad wolf, I’m gonna throw something at you.”

“I was gonna say a troll. A troll, Rose. Anything to do with those two words still makes me uncomfortable. And actually, huh, the story of the big bad wolf did come about with a little help from another alien group. Though, the Ajupes resent being called big or bad and they hate how they’ve been portrayed in that story. Tame, peaceable things, they are. Never eat meat, either.” He shook his head. “You humans. You don’t understand something, it gets vilified. Except for you, Rose. You’re a good human.”

“Thanks. I’ve already got the point, but continue?”

“Well, if you’ve got the point, I don’t need to. It’s my turn.”

“Alright. Um, okay. Name one thing, something completely random, that I don’t know about you. To make it challenging, keep it within the last twenty or so years.”

“I was gonna say… Ooh, I know. Can’t believe I’ve never told you about this. When you-” He faltered and swallowed. “When you were gone, I kinda sorta became a dad again.”

Was it possible for your heart to stop beating and still be standing and breathing?

“What?”

“I beca- Oh, hell, I meant via a machine, Rose. Not- not by… you know.”

“Oh.” Hopefully he didn’t notice how much that sounded like a sigh of relief. “Um, I guess I should ask. Uh, how did that happen?”

“Progenation machine. Took a tissue sample and basically grew a child from it. A fully-grown child. A woman, actually.”

“More than a child, though. Your child, right?”

“My daughter, yes.”

“…That means you were her mummy, too?” She giggled and he laughed, nodding. “So where is she? What happened?”

“She was shot,” he said quietly, expression growing serious. “Took a bullet meant for me and died in my arms. She didn’t regenerate. Thought she would, actually, but I was wrong.”

“Oh, Doctor.” Rose shuffled over to him, wrapped her arms around his stomach, and hugged him tightly enough to hear his hearts beating in her ear. “I’m so sorry.”

“Her name was Jenny. Donna named her.” Rose tightened her arms around him and he brushed her hair back. “You would have liked her, I think. Just like me. Somewhat.” He cleared his throat and squeezed back a moment. “The chicken’s gonna burn, you know. I’m okay. Promise.”

“You sure?”

“Course.” She nodded and returned to the frying pan. “I’ve sketched a picture of her. Remind me to show you later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, yes. I want you to see what she looked like. I wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise, silly. It’s your turn now. Give me a second to think.”

“Take your time. You’ve not many left, you know.”

“Yes and I’ve already got one. Just thought of it. What’s your favorite type of jewelry? Real, cheap, gemstone, rhinestone, ring, bracelet, what?”

“Hmm. Definitely good metal. Cheap stuff turns my skin green.” 

“You turn GREEN?”

“Yeah. Not all of me, mind. One day, I’ll show you what I mean.” She turned the heat up on the chicken and stirred the noodles. “I like rings the most, now that I think about it. I’m not really picky when it comes to them. Stones, no stones. Whatever.”

“But if you had to say you liked a particular stone over another, what would it be? Out of all of the stones on Earth, I personally think sapphires are beautiful. Oh, and rubies. Very nice red color. So?”

“I don’t know. Rubies are pretty, I guess.”

“What?” He grinned. “Rubies and not diamonds? You’ve mentioned them enough today that I was sure you’d say that.”

She shrugged. “I always considered diamonds to be like an engagement thing… or a rich people thing. In rings, that is.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. In necklaces or earrings, as long as they’re not gaudy, they’re alright.”

“But you would never consider wearing one?”

“No, I would. Rings are just my favorite jewelry, which was what you asked. I don’t hate the idea of diamond earrings or necklaces. Like I said, long as they’re not gaudy…”

“So no waterfall of diamonds around your neck anytime soon?”

“Uh, I think not,” she giggled. “‘Sides, when would I ever have occasion to have a diamond waterfall around my neck, huh?”

“I don’t know. One day, we might need to play a rich couple visiting their distant royal cousin or something. Diamonds would surely help sell the part. I noticed you excluded diamond bracelets earlier. Do you have something against them?”

“When I was living with Jimmy forever ago, he stole a diamond bracelet from his grandmother, told me he bought it for me with some money he got in a bonus at work, and then acted like he’d never seen it when the police showed up to question him a couple days later. If his mum hadn’t talked to the police and said she’d seen me working when the bracelet disappeared, I’d have been in a lot of trouble.”

“Ah. Diamond bracelets are obviously out of the question, then. What a pathetic human being.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“So you’re a ring kind of woman. We might consider running to Mairze Urd someday and picking up a few diamonds so you can have a few rings or maybe even an entire jewelry set made. Wouldn’t be too difficult to have them placed into settings, I’m sure. Why, Rose Tyler, you could have a ring, necklace, earring, and tiara set all made up! You’d be the envy of all of your friends.”

“A tiara?” she laughed. “Do you actually think I’d wear a tiara?”

“My mentioning that was more a desire to see it, perhaps. I think you’d look fetching in a tiara.”

“Nah, I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen.”

“We’ll see. I know you said you associate diamond rings with engagements, but you could still think about having a ring… or a dozen… made. We certainly have the connections. Could be you doing something nice for yourself.”

He did have a point. If she did it herself, it wouldn’t be like some guy had given her a ring that wasn’t an engagement ring. It wouldn’t feel as weird and there wouldn’t be the ‘why the hell’d he give me diamonds if we’re not engaged?’ kind of thought attached to it. 

“Alright. Yeah, I’ll think about having a ring made.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” he said cheerfully and slid off the counter. “Would you like some of that halamay wine I found on Kalastrade? Should taste alright with dinner.”

“Sure, yeah. My question.”

“Yup.”

“Hmm. Can I ask something that might upset you?”

“Oh, gee. Can’t wait to hear this one. Go ahead.”

Rose drained the oil from the chicken and slowly mixed the meat in with the noodles, keeping her eyes off him as she asked her question. 

“Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if Jack hadn’t been the one who… with the other you?”

“I have.” He sighed deeply. “Whoever had been in Jack’s shoes would’ve had to forget everything they’d ever done with me… or died. Thankfully it was Jack. He chose to die, but the lucky bastard survived.”

“Thank God.”

“Thank something. My metacrisis wouldn’t have inherited Jack’s tendency to be so damned stupid. Wouldn’t have sacrificed himself. He had no reason. He didn’t have to… He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t. And Donna… Donna wouldn’t have left me.”

Rose winced. Talking about her always upset him more than most everything, but she’d been wondering a lot lately and, though she didn’t like upsetting him, she needed to know. Donna had been his best friend, a woman who’d tried to heal him.

“Have you talked to her lately?”

“There’s no change. She doesn’t want to keep travelling with me and she’s trying to move on. When she’s ready, she says she will get a hold of me for lunch or something. She said seeing Jack's mind burn away and watching him die for me was the last straw. You saw how broken she was after that. I couldn’t rightly ask her to stay.”

“I know. You should at least write her or something.”

“What good would it do?”

“It’s worth a try, Doctor. Even if it hurts you, if there’s a chance it could help her, you should try. Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”

“I couldn’t let you leave me, Rose.”

She took a moment to memorize the way he said that. So quiet, so heartfelt. She moved over to hug him again, this time for just a moment, and then went back to the stove to remove their dinner from the heat. 

“From what you told me, Donna was your best friend,” she said gently. “I think you need to remind her of that.”

“I want to wait until she’s ready for me to be in her life again. I never again want to see her upset like that.”

“How about the next time we visit Earth, I ring up Donna and have a little girl on girl talk? I’ll poke around and see how much longer you have to go. Then, we can come back to the TARDIS, make a stop however far off she said, and try again. Okay?”

The Doctor scooped her off the floor without warning, tightly hugging her to his body and pressing excited kisses all over her forehead and cheeks. He placed one last kiss on the tip of her nose and pulled back to grin widely at her. 

“You are the most amazing creature I’ve ever met, Rose Tyler. Don’t you ever change or you’ll have me to answer to. You got that?”

“Yeah, got it. Can’t breathe,” she gasped and then, when he squeezed her tightly, squeaked, “Human.”

“Oops. Sorry.” He let her go, kissed the top of her head, and laughed. “There you go. Ready to eat?”

“Give me a sec.” 

He busied himself setting the table while she slowly regained her breath. She stopped panting as he was finishing up and carried their food over to the table. He snagged their wineglasses from the counter, slid into the seat next to hers, and hummed a song between bites. 

“Your turn,” he said through a mouthful of food and chewed a few times. “I’m going to give you-” Chew, chew, chew. “Three options and you have-” Chew, chew, chew. “To tell me which is the-” Chew, chew, swallow. “Lie, which is the truth, and which is the half-truth. Or if you think they’re all truth, all lie, all half-truths, or any variation. Ready?”

“This is gonna be hard, isn’t it?” She swallowed a large amount of wine and intently focused on his face. “Ready.”

“Good. One, I’ve been taking cooking lessons every day after you go to bed, because I hope to be able to cook you a very nice dinner one day without burning down the galley. I’m doing that for you, Rose.”

He paused and she nodded. “Okay. Next.”

“Two, using the psychic paper and cashing in a few favors, I’ve arranged to send your mother and Pete Tyler on a very nice cruise this summer, free of charge. Could be their honeymoon, I suppose, if Pete doesn’t insist upon paying for a honeymoon on his own. I think they deserve it. "

“Got it. And?”

“Three, not only am I taking you to Mairze Urd someday soon - possibly tomorrow - to procure as many diamonds as you wish, I’m also taking you to Falsoon to have your diamonds fitted into various pieces of jewelry while we tour a few of the occupation houses and stop in at the orphanage.”

“Oh, no.”

He chuckled. “Which was the lie, the truth, the half-truth, the lies, the truths, or the half-truths?”

“Um, one was… a truth?”

“Yes.”

“Really? But that’s amazing!”

“Thank you. I thought so, too.”

“No, that is literally the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Seriously.”

“Like I said, I’m doing it all for you. For many reasons, but mostly ‘cause it’s unfair you have to cook for me every single night.” He grinned. “You still have two and three, though, so don’t keep focusing on one.”

“Right. Two was definitely a lie. Or a half-truth if you did it for Pete, which I think you’d actually do.”

“No. Two was also a truth.”

“What? But-”

“I would never tell Jackie, but it’s a thanks for raising you so well on her own. And- this you can be sure I’d tell her- it’s to get her out of our hair for a while. Imagine, not having to visit your mother for a few weeks! We could go even longer than we usually do! It’s going to be amazing.”

“You- a cruise and- but… Oh, my God. You do like my mum, don’t you?”

“I will never admit that, not even if you tried to trick me into it.”

“You like my mum,” Rose repeated, grinning. “Oh, I am so telling her.”

“You do that and I’ll have the TARDIS hide your bedroom for a week. You’ll have to sleep on the sofa in the media room or find a spare bedroom.”

“Or commandeer yours. Whatever.”

“Riiiiight. Because that’d happen.” He clearly didn’t believe her, but she was telling the truth. “Three?”

She let it go. Though, if he ever did hide her room, she was totally taking over his bed and he couldn’t complain ‘cause she’d warned him. 

“Three was a half-truth.”

“Wrong again. Three was also a truth. I did say they could all possibly be truths.”

“Are we doing all of that?”

“We are. Mairze Urd first, Falsoon second. You choose the day and by that evening, you’ll be outfitted in very nice jewelry, things you had made for yourself. Jettamon jewelry is almost the best in the universe, you know. You’ll love it.”

“I’m actually excited. That’s awesome. Thank you. And the orphanage, too?”

“The orphanage, too. You still can’t have a Jettamon infant.”

“But- but-” she pretended to beg and then snorted. “Yeah, I still wasn’t asking for one.”

“Remember that. My turn now.”

“Here’s an easy one for you. If I did have a baby, would you help me when I needed it?”

“Help you?”

“Yeah, like hold it, feed it maybe? That sorta thing.”

“I’d even attempt to change its nappy just once. Er, one with wee in it. Won’t do anything else. Sorry. Wouldn’t consider it for anyone’s child, even yours. Of course, if a child shared my DNA, then I suppose I’d have to change its dirty nappy. Might vomit a little in my mouth, though.”

Had he just insinuated… 

“What?”

“Don’t give me that look. If, say, Mickey had a child and it soiled its nappy, would you be willing to change it? No. Unless a child happens to share your DNA, you’re not gonna go rushing in all smiles to clean the poo from its behind. Like I said, wouldn’t consider it for anyone’s child but my own.”

Yeah, that hadn’t really cleared up her question. Had he insinuated her child would be his, as well, or was she only hearing what she hoped to hear?

“I-” She shook her head. Thinking about it wasn’t getting her an answer. “I forgot to tell you. Mickey’s living in Cardiff with a woman now. His girlfriend.”

“Madison Heathcliff or Heathbar or- Wait, no. That’s a candy bar. American, I think. Madison whatever. Yeah, I remember. Mickey mentioned her during our planning sessions. They have a Beagle, too. Cody.”

“Yeah. He told you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Well, he is actually gonna have a baby. His girlfriend just found out.”

“That’s exciting.”

She smiled. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like, you know? Babies… they’re loud and can be challenging with all their crying and you having to guess what each cry means and probably pulling your hair out most of the time, but they have those moments where you just… you just-”

“You just want to pick them up and hold them, because their little squished faces and big baby eyes are simply melting your hearts- er, heart- into a big pile of hearty gooiness?”

“Yeah.”

“Mmm.” He smiled. “Your turn now. If Donna ever lets me-”

“When,” she corrected. 

“When,” he repeated and smiled. “When Donna finally lets me back into her life, are you going to have any issues with her being in my life? I know she won’t be coming back to the ship, but…”

She gaped at him a moment. “Of course I won’t. Did you really think I would? She’s your best friend, Doctor, and a hell of a woman by the sounds of it. I’m excited for her to get with the program. How you thought otherwise is beyond me.”

“I thought so, but I still had to check. She’s Donna, my best friend and an excellent companion, and I couldn’t imagine leaving her out of my life, but… you’re Rose Tyler. I needed to know you were okay with her being in my life, too. Hoped you would. Hoped I wasn’t wrong…”

Their staring match ended when he looked away to grab his wineglass. For the first time in a long while, he’d made an almost-admittance that she actually meant something to him. Had he meant for it to sound like that? 

She desperately hoped so. 

“Hey, you’re happy, I’m happy,” she said lightly and he chuckled into his glass, back to smiling. “Your turn.”

“It is, yes.”

“Would you be completely against the idea of going out for some dinner and dancing with Jack sometime?”

“Um, yes. I’d gladly dance with you, Rose, but Jack isn’t really my type. I joke around, but that’s all it is.”

Rose smothered a laugh. “I meant dinner and dancing with me, Jack, and someone else. Though, if you wanted to dance with Jack, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Is that…” He looked at her worriedly. “Is that something you’d, er, enjoy watching? Me and Jack together?”

She was dumbfounded a very long moment and then literally shook herself out of it. 

“No! No, I just meant it’d be funny to watch. One guy trying to lead the other, who was in turn trying to lead the first? Hilarious.”

“Oh. Good.” He sighed. “I was worried a moment there. No, I think that’d be lovely. Donna might wish to be the fourth, you know.”

Did he really just imply he’d be willing to do anything- even just dance- with Jack, because she’d enjoy watching it? No, surely not. She had to have mistaken what he said. She should ask.

“What?”

“Oh, Rose. I’m not quite as oblivious as some would want me to be. I could tell she was attracted to him.” Yeah, not what she was asking about. “Could smell it, actually, which was really awkward for me as you can probably guess. Anytime she was around him… Ugh. It was like smelling your sister and knowing… what… Just no.”

Rose winced and the Doctor nodded, expression one of discomfort and embarrassment. Better just let it go. He assuredly didn’t mean it the way she thought. He was probably just worried she was a pervert or something. Why was she imagining things tonight?

“Sorry. So it’s a date, then. Just have to tell Jack and Donna.” 

“Once she’s speaking to me again.”

“It’ll happen, Doctor.” He didn’t say anything and she pushed her mostly uneaten food away. “Let’s get out of here, yeah? We can go to a new planet or try to talk to Donna…” 

“I’m not ready for Donna just yet, I think. I can still remember the look on her face.” He cleared his throat. “But we can get out of here. Are you sure? After you went through all that trouble of cooking, I don’t want you to go hungry or think I’m being ungrateful.”

“Hey, we’ll have leftovers later or can stop somewhere. No biggie.” They both put their dishes in the sink and made their way to the door. She’d get them later. “You never did tell me what you plan on making when you won’t set fire to anything. Not that it’ll be anytime soon, but I am curious.”

“I am getting better, I’ll have you know. I made pasta in class yesterday and I didn’t burn it to the sides and bottom of the pan. That’s an improvement, right?”

“They were edible?”

“I thought so. Mrs. Mulligan- she’s my professor, by the way- said they were still a bit hard, that they just needed a few more minutes cooking, but they were edible and actually pretty good. So thank you very much for your disbelief. Burnt my finger cooking ’em, but I got a good mark and that’s all I was hoping for. I get to start working on desserts soon. I’m actually really excited.”

“Well, let’s go to class early. How about that?” He looked surprised and gave her a little grin. She smiled back at him and grabbed his hand. “You’re great, you know that?”

“Yes. A certain blonde told me as much just this morning. Should probably get out of our jimjams, don’t ya think?”

“I don’t know. Are we going in public?”

“Yes, but technically… Well, I suppose I don’t have to- Wait. You were being sarcastic, weren’t you?” She tapped her nose and pointed at him. “Not very nice, Rose Tyler.”

“I know and you can’t skip class. You seem so proud of what you’re doing, what you’re accomplishing. Don’t skip it just ‘cause I’m coming with you tonight. We’ll be going to London during the day, right?” He nodded. “Well, I’ll just find something to do while you’re busy. Maybe shop or, I don’t know, get my hair done… How long do your classes usually last?”

“Two and a half hours.” His cheeks turned a little pink and she caught herself about to say ‘awww’ at the absolute cuteness of it, something that would have flustered him. “Sorry. It’s a beginner’s class so we’re given a little extra time to work.”

“That’s alright. No need to apologize, Doctor." Oh, jeez, he was just too cute. It took every ounce of strength she had to finally bat away that annoying 'awww' that had still been clawing up her throat. "We can meet up when your class is done. Maybe I can come wait for you wherever you’ll be? It’d be cool to poke around and see where you’re going to school.”

“Really? You’d want to do that?”

“Well, yeah. I’m curious. If a school’s good enough for the Doctor, it must be something special.”

“Honestly, the way I found out about this course… it’s a funny story.” 

The Doctor held the door to the wardrobe open and they both went in, Rose heading to a small section labelled with her name, the Doctor strolling to a section further away from hers. Though she knew he’d changed in his room earlier, she wouldn’t be surprised if he kept at least three identical suits in here for times just like this. 

“So are you actually planning to tell me that funny story?” she asked while slipping off her nightgown. “Is it one of those ha ha funny things or an oh, that’s so sad kind of funny?”

“Ha ha funny in the beginning, oh, that’s so sad kind of funny after that, and then just oh, that’s interesting towards the end. Do you really want to hear it or are you just trying to make sure my voice stays a respectable distance away?”

She snorted. “I want to hear it. I don’t care where your voice is.”

“I see. Well, it started close to two weeks ago. I’d just left you sleeping in the TARDIS, doors naturally locked up tight, and was on my way to another secret birthday party planning get-together with your mother and a few others. I was maybe a few steps away from my front door when a woman threw a casserole dish out of her second floor window and the thing nearly came crashing down on me.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yes. She apologized profusely and explained her boyfriend had tried cooking himself something and the whatever it was supposed to be literally fused to the sides of the dish and wouldn’t come out no matter what she tried. She finally tossed the whole thing out the window in frustration and that’s when she met me.”

“So what happened? How’d the course fit in there?”

“She disappears from her window and, as I’m walking by the other side of her building, a young man storms out the door in a huff, nearly knocking me over and muttering about school and dishes and raving lunatics. He, of course, didn’t stop when he saw me, just told me something like “Women aren’t worth it 90% of the time, mate.” and kept on walking. Intrigued, I was. I couldn’t help it.”

On went her favorite denim skirt over a pair of dark tights. Boots, too, seemed necessary.

“Right. So?”

“Well, I followed him. Caught up with him half a block later and asked him how a school had fit in with his earlier mutterings. He’d given me this weirdest look and then told me about his school and Mrs. Mulligan’s class. I thanked him, went on my way to Jackie’s flat, and then hightailed it to that class when we were done for the evening. I was curious to see what a cooking class was about and just managed to catch the last few minutes of it.”

Did she really need a bra?

“And?” 

Yes. Public. Public where people might actually know her and a school. Bra it was. 

“It was a beginner’s course, as I mentioned earlier. Mrs. Mulligan- who was not the kindly old lady type I expected, but a no nonsense sort of woman in her late thirties- had several groups working on foods of varying difficulty and gave concise instructions for each step of whatever each group was working on. I, well… I signed up as a latecomer for the class and started the next day.”

If she was going to his school to meet up with him, she should probably put on a shirt that made her look good. No, sexy.

“You just randomly signed up for a cooking course?”

She might as well make an impression, make it look like he had one hell of a sexy girlfriend. She could do that. No one else had to know they were just friends.

“Well, I did say I was doing it for you, Rose. I didn’t explain my reasoning for signing up. Simply told you I’d done it.”

Off went the tights. Best show some leg. Thank God she’d shaved last night. 

“You’re right. So you can actually make some stuff now?”

“I can. Not much, but some.”

Boots back on. Readjust the shirt, maybe tug it down a little. Up?

“Like what? What all have you learned how to make?”

Was she showing enough cleavage? Too much?

“Not much. Things that need boiled, basically.” He laughed and she pulled on a necklace that dangled right between her breasts. “Different types of pasta, mainly. Though I can boil an egg, a potato, and rice. I can even make oatmeal on the stove top now.”

“Ooh, I love oatmeal.”

“Think you might do a better job at it than me. Never tastes right when I do it, though Mrs. Mulligan swears it tastes great.”

“That’s ‘cause oatmeal’s one of those things someone else’s supposed to cook for you. It’s like… um, food never tastes quite as great if you’re the one cooking it? Always better when someone else took the time to do it.”

“So that’s why I love your cooking so much. Here I thought it was all talent and it’s simply because I’m a lazy sod. Amazing. Rose Tyler wisdom.”

“Shut it, you.”

He chuckled and she took one last glance in the mirror hanging in her section. Boots, denim skirt, fitted light blue v-neck shirt, eye-drawing necklace. Did her breasts look extra cleavage-y today? She swiveled to the side and back. Oh, they looked perfect. What about her legs? Slim. Close to perfect. Now all she needed was a jacket. 

Could she get away with stealing the Doctor’s without him getting suspicious of her motives? He didn’t need a suit jacket when all he was doing was cooking, right? Wearing his jacket, the one matching his trousers, would totally send out a ‘he’s definitely getting shagged on a regular basis by the blonde wearing his jacket’ kind of message to anyone who took one look at the two of them standing together. 

Totally what she was going for, too, especially if there were assholes secretly making fun of him at that school. And there probably was. There was always someone who thought they were better than everyone else. 

“You look lovely.”

She met his eyes in the mirror. “Well, thank you. You’re wearing a suit to cooking class?”

“What’s wrong with my suit?”

“Nothing. Just seems like a bad idea.” He plucked at his jacket front and frowned at her. She turned and held out her hand. “At least give me the jacket. Trousers are alright and a shirt you can roll the sleeves up on is okay, I guess, but a jacket? That has to go.”

He handed it over, staring at the jacket pattern a moment, and then met her eyes uncertainly.

“Is this better?”

“Yes. Now you look like you might actually be able to go to class, instead of a business meeting.” She rolled her eyes, made a show of staring at the jacket in her hands, and then shrugged. “I’ll keep it with me until you’re done with class. You can have it back, then, so you don’t feel naked.”

He looked relieved. “Thank you, Rose. That is so thoughtful of you.”

“Welcome.”

Yeah, she totally pulled that off. 

“Shall we?” he asked, arm held out. 

“We shall.”

When they’d landed in a back alley in London, the Doctor breezed out the doors ahead of Rose, who had to rush to catch up. She caught sight of a clock in a store half a block away and caught his hand. He immediately slowed down and smiled at her. 

“Sorry. I always seem to forget your legs are shorter than mine.”

“It’s alright. Ehm, what time does your class start?”

“Four o’clock. Why?”

“Thought you might like to know it’s ten ‘til four. That clock back there said so.”

He hurriedly pulled her to him for a quick hug and then ran off down the street, calling back something about not forgetting him, while she headed the other way. 

She realized as she was buying a bottle of water that he hadn’t said anything about her wearing his jacket, though she shouldn’t be too surprised. He’d likely already considered that she might be wearing it, since it’d be annoying to lug around an unused jacket for almost three hours. 

She spent most of her free time blindly flipping through a magazine and thinking. A lot. Most of it was about the Doctor, some about Donna. When two hours had passed, she tossed the unread magazine into a rubbish bin, knowing she’d never read it, and headed off to the school the Doctor had mentioned on their way there.

When she got there, she used a window to smooth down her hair and then straightened her outfit. After all, she had to look her best. Upon strolling through the doors, she ran into a rather beefy guy who gave her a creepy once over.

“Hello, gorgeous. What’s a pretty, little thing like you doing in a place like this?”

Oh, like she couldn’t be a student? The arsehole. She wasn’t, but she could have been.

“Waiting on my boyfriend,” she replied icily, beyond irked. “Mind stepping out of the way?”

“Girl like you shouldn’t be tied down to a guy in school. Should be with someone like me. I'm a guy that can afford to throw away money on bullshit classes just because I'm bored. I could treat you right.”

“Hmm. Funny.”

“What?”

“Oh, this. You. See, my boyfriend is the smartest man on this planet. It’s been proven many times. He has a few doctorates, owns his own home, a ship, takes me travelling wherever I want to go at the drop of a hat, and could shower me with diamonds if I ever wanted him to. And as if that weren’t enough, he has a ten-inch cock tucked away in his trousers and promised me rough sex when he’s done here tonight. Might even tie me up if I ask nicely enough and if I’m a really good girl.” She did her best to look innocent and curious. “What’ve you got to offer? Is it anything better than that?”

The guy lumbered off, muttering under his breath, and she smirked. Yep, she could still take care of herself. Good to know. Best thing was she’d only fibbed a little and that was about the size of the Doctor’s manhood. About eight or so, ten. Whatever. Well, and the rough sex bit. Though she definitely wouldn’t turn that down if he offered. 

Huh. And how many doctorates did he actually have? She’d have to ask one day.

A while later, she was casually leaning against the wall outside a classroom belonging to a B. Mulligan when she saw a group of guys meet up across the hall and start lingering. Surprise, surprise. One of them was the condescending jerk from earlier. He was talking and kept nodding her way so she was expecting trouble.

None came, however, because Mrs. Mulligan’s door opened that moment and a number of people rushed out. The arseholes across the way were taunting some of them, but she kept her tongue. They weren’t her concern. Only the Doctor. She quickly peeked down at her cleavage, hid a grin, and looked up in time to see the Doctor leaving the classroom.

“Oh, hello, Rose. Have you been waiting long?”

“Seems like it’s been forever.” She tossed a seemingly careless glance around and noticed the jerks looked absolutely stunned. Served them right. “Have fun today?”

“I did.” 

“I’m so glad.”

Before she could do it herself, the Doctor scooped her up for a tight hug. It was one of those ‘can barely breathe, toes aren’t on the floor, God, he smells so good’ kind of hugs. 

“Today was my best day yet.” He slowly let her down, rubbing against her in all the right areas. “I actually managed to bake a cake and it was so good, Rose, Mrs. Mulligan asked to take it home.”

He was still holding her body flush against his and her nipples were getting hard. Damn lace bra.

“Did she really?”

“Yes. I channeled you and that turned out great. She says if I do as well the rest of the week, I can start on meats.”

“That’s fantastic!”

“I know.” He finally released her, straightened his jacket on her, and grabbed her hand. “I cannot wait to get out of here.”

She giggled. “Let’s go home, then, Doctor.”

He gave her a very happy look and led the way past the group of jerks, who were still staring open-mouthed at them. At the door, she turned and winked at them. She wished she had a camera. Closer to the TARDIS, the Doctor looked at her thoughtfully and she directed a questioning look his way.

“Is there a reason you winked at those men back there?”

“Oh. You saw that, did you?”

“I did. Was there a reason for it?”

“I might’ve had a little run-in with one of them and said some things about you that I won’t be repeating.”

“Ah. Good things, I hope.”

“Yeah. Just exaggerated one thing and lied about another, but all the other stuff I said was completely true. Well, and there was that one thing.”

After all, he might look at her like she’s crazy if she asked him to tie her up.

“Well, that’s good.” His brown eyes settled on hers a long moment and his brows dipped. “Er, why? I don’t know any of them.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe not, but I’d like to know.”

“Eh, well, he implied I was too pretty to be in school, which was such a Jimmy thing to say that I just… kinda… Um, well, I…”

“Rose?”

“Those guys were the kinda people who make fun of people they think aren’t as good as them, you know? I could tell that… so I might’ve said a few things that shut one of them up. It was good, too. Man, his face was priceless.”

“Rose.”

“Well, gossip travels and all that… so they all knew what I said. I only winked ‘cause they were so, I don’t know, surprised it was you I was leaving with. Felt appropriate somehow, especially considering some of the things I said.”

“Serves them right, I suppose. You look incredible, by the way.”

“Thanks. I just threw it on.” Lie. “Wasn’t planned or anything.”

“And I’m sure my jacket is going to smell lovely.” He opened the door to the TARDIS and followed Rose inside. “Thank you for keeping it warm. May I have it back now? If you’re done with it, of course.”

She slipped it off and handed it over.

“I’m gonna head to bed now. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow and I need sleep.”

“We do. I’ll see you in the morning, Rose.”

“Goodnight, Doctor.”

“Sweet dreams.”

She really did try. She laid in her bed for about four hours before giving up. There was no way she was sleeping. Her body said no and that was it. She’d been too keyed up thinking about everything- the Doctor and the jerks and Donna and the cooking classes for her and the diamonds and the soon-to-be stepfather and amazing birthdays and the questions- that sleep had unsurprisingly evaded her. 

Might as well get out of bed and make an early start of the day. Her clock said it was almost five, anyway, which was weird ‘cause she’d gone to bed at nearly seven London time. Obviously seven o’clock London time meant five o’clock TARDIS time today. That’d change again. Always did.

The Doctor was poking at some toast and eating a banana when she found him in the galley. He froze, looking taken aback.

“Your bum,” she informed him, “isn’t meant to go on the counter, you know. We have to prepare food there.”

“Rose? Why the devil are you awake right now? Is something wrong?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Why are you poking at that poor toast? What’d it ever do to you?”

“It tastes weird.”

Rose eyed the plain toast, shot the Doctor an incredulous look, and marched to the refrigerator to grab his favorite jam from inside. She returned and silently slathered a thick layer onto the flattened toast.

“Try it now.”

Honestly, he was such a helpless child sometimes.

“Oh, this is perfect! Thank you.”

“You really couldn’t have thought to add jam to it yourself?”

“It’s much better if someone else does it.”

“Absolutely silly, you are, no matter the time of day. Have you been to see Aquarius recently?”

“Just got back, actually.”

“Ah. That explains the wet hair. Did you have fun?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. We played for hours and hours and stuffed ourselves with bananas. Lots of fun. Think she missed you, though. I thought it was supposed to be daddy’s girl and mummy’s boy, but she likes you better. It’s not fair. I’m the one who wanted her, who’s wanted a Pucha Equa for centuries, who argued to keep her. Despite all of that, however, she has decided you are her favorite.”

Rose smiled. “You know, that’s not always the case with, erm, kids. And are you pouting, Doctor? I’m sure you were just imagining things.”

“No, I’m positive I wasn’t. See, not once did she perform a trick for me. I begged and bribed. Nothing. That is, not until I mentioned you and then, suddenly, all she did was tricks.” The Doctor dropped the rest of his banana on the counter. “Rose! Our poochie baby likes you more. I don’t like it.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” She turned to hide a smile, one brought on by this entire conversation. He realized they were talking about a pet, not a child, right? Daddy’s girl, indeed. “I’m sure she was simply wondering where I was. I mean, she’s only ever seen you with me right beside you.”

“I doubt it. My luck’s not that good, Rose. It would make sense that the moment I finally get something else I’ve wanted for so long, that thing would decide it doesn’t like me as much as I do it.”

Er, what? Was he still talking about Aquarius or was she just hoping he wasn’t?

“That’s nonsense, Doctor, and you know it.”

He frowned at her for quite some time, Rose steadily meeting his gaze the whole time, before he pulled in a deep breath and shook his head.

“I’m being silly about this, aren’t I?”

“Yah.”

“Never mind me, then. Perhaps I should have taken a nap while you were out.”

“I didn’t actually sleep. Couldn’t. Told you that.”

“You did, that’s right. I remember.” He hopped off the counter and approached her, looking concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just… an eventful day. My mind refused to take a break from thinking.”

“Fascinating,” he said, seeming amazed. “A human’s brain can be so full of thought, it keeps the human from sleep. Huh. What’s that like, I wonder… Suppose I’ll never know. Probably for the best, too. It’d drive me mad.”

Rose snorted. “As if you weren’t already.”

“Oi! Be nice to me. I’m still in pain from that whole debacle with Aquarius. Pity me.”

“You’re being absurd, Doctor. Our fishy-puppy doesn’t like either of us more than the other. Alright?” He actually pouted and she repeated a little forcefully, “Alright?”

“…alright. I like that, by the way. Fishy-puppy. It’s cute.”

“Thank you.”

“How about another movie?” the Doctor suggested. “Maybe we can find something to put you to sleep for a while. Humans with their need for sleep and all that. Would hate for you to become ill simply because you missed a few hours.”

“We can try, but I doubt it’s going to happen.”

Twenty minutes later, Rose and the Doctor were playfully arguing in the same media room they’d been in earlier. However, they were quickly approaching “maybe not so playful” arguing, because it seemed they both wanted to win.

“You laid out on the couch for the last movie, Rose, and I know you can sleep sitting straight up. I’ve seen you do it many times.”

“Remember that we’re only watching another movie to try to put me to sleep? Me laying on that couch would help that. Get your own couch.”

“I can’t simply conjure another couch. I would if I could, but I haven’t a wand.”

“Did you really just make a Harry Potter reference?”

“I never got my admissions letter to Hogwarts,” he said seriously. “Too busy traveling.”

She snorted. “You know that actor we were talking about earlier?”

“Ah, yes. David Tennant. Why are we back on that prat when we should be discussing seating arrangements?”

“Because he played a part in Harry Potter and you’re looking as crazy as him right now.” The Doctor graced her with a very sour look and she giggled. “Okay, fine. You want to lay down, I want to lay down, and neither of us can conjure things out of air. How about we just… share?”

She waited with bated breath for his response, which seemed slow in coming.

“We did decide earlier that snuggling would be involved with our shakes night and we didn’t snuggle earlier, did we?”

“Not really.”

Could he hear how breathless she was? She sincerely hoped not.

“Well.” He abruptly grinned. “Let’s remedy that, then. We’ll share the couch. You won’t be uncomfortable with that, will you?”

She looked at him like he was an idiot and he stopped fluffing the couch cushions. Really? They’d had sex together months and months ago and he thought she’d get uncomfortable sharing the couch?

“Do you not think before you speak?”

“I suppose that was a silly question. You wouldn’t have suggested it if you’d been uncomfortable. Am I right?”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

The Doctor put in a movie, crawled onto the couch, and then surprised her by patting the spot right in front of his chest. She’d been expecting their legs to meet in the middle, maybe lean against opposite armrests, but hey, if he didn’t mind spooning, there was no way in hell she was turning down the offer.

She grabbed the remote off the coffee table and settled down in front of him. As she pushed play, the Doctor’s right arm snaked over her hip and his hand moved up to splay across her stomach. He pulled her against him and left his hand there.

“So you don’t fall, of course.”

Rose doubted there was any space between them and barely managed to smother a moan of happiness. 

“Thank you.”

“Well, you’re welcome, Rose.”

She loved when she was able to forget for a moment that the guy she loved didn’t love her back. It was times like these… Rose drifted off in thought (remembrance, fantasy, whatever) and slowly realized she had no idea what movie was on or how long it had been playing.

Another ten minutes passed and she sighed. She literally could not concentrate on the movie and felt not even a tiny bit sleepy. Every little chuckle, comment, or breath that escaped the Doctor’s mouth ruffled her hair and made gooseflesh pop up on her neck. She was more wide awake now than she had been earlier.

So what was a girl to do in this situation? She needed to distract herself, that’s what. Talking would work just fine.

“We never finished our game.”

The Doctor gasped. “Rose, you’re absolutely right.”

And just like that, the movie was forgotten.

“Whose turn were we on?”

“I was about to ask question number sixteen.”

“Alright. Have at it, Doctor.”

The Doctor let out a low, mischievous laugh and Rose moved around until she was laying on her back, looking at him curiously. He was grinning impishly and she felt like she should be more worried by that.

“You implied earlier today that you like my laugh.” Rose blushed and the Doctor’s grin widened. “Anything else you like about me? I believe I made mention of my smile and my hands, but perhaps you like my hair or… my body more.”

He wiggled his eyebrows and she let out a startled laugh.

“Are you serious?”

“Oh, quite. If my body ranks higher than my laugh or, say, my personality, you needn’t mention which body parts you most prefer.” Again with the brow wiggling! Rose couldn’t believe it. “Unless you want to tell me.”

“Um, wow. Well, yeah, your smile’s great and your personality’s amazing, but you already knew that. And any guy would be jealous of your hair.” She automatically looked up at his thick head of hair and direly wished she could run her fingers through it. “It’s pretty wonderful.”

“But do you like any of those things? And are you not going to mention my hands or my body?”

Was he for real?

“Does it matter what I think?”

“I’m just trying to get an answer here. The game is called twenty-one questions, after all. We question, we answer.”

She could just say she didn’t want to answer his question, but he did seem like he really wanted to know… and she couldn’t deny him when he looked at her like that. Maybe answering would open his eyes about how she felt about him.

“Alright. Truthfully? I love your hair. It’s long, thick, and I’d envy it if I was a guy. When you smile, I’m not the only one who wants to smile, too. You already know what I think about your personality. I love your hands and love holding them, because they’re very manly, as you say all the time, and are big and strong and I like that a lot.” She swallowed and refused to meet his eyes, though she could feel them on her. “And your body… I like it.”

“Really? How so?”

“How do I like your body?”

“Yes. What about my body do you actually like? I personally think my biceps could appear more muscular, not that it matters with my innate strength, but it would be nice for one to match the other, don’t you think?”

“No. Everything about you is the way it should be.”

“So my height? That’s alright?”

“Yes. It’s great. I… Well, I, um, prefer taller guys. You’re all right.”

“Hmm. That’s odd.” She finally looked at him, but he appeared genuinely confused. “And my arms and legs appear muscular enough?”

“Yeah. You’d look weird if your arms and legs were more muscular-looking, I think.”

“What of my chest?” he asked suddenly. “And my abdomen, too, I suppose. Am I flabby?”

“No, not at all. You look… well, you look great, Doctor.” 

He stared at her as if he was trying to puzzle through something and wasn’t having much success. Finally, he let out a weary sigh and nodded, still looking thoroughly bewildered.

“Thank you, Rose. My turn.”

“Right. Um, oh! Good one. How fancy’s this dinner you’re cookin’ me gonna be?”

“So fancy, you’ll need a nice bib and shovel.” She started laughing and a smile finally came back to his handsome features. “I suppose if I have enough practice and time, though, I could cook you something truly splendid.”

“Nah, I think I want the bib and shovel meal the first time, Doctor.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My turn now.”

“Very well. What did you think about marriage before you met me?”

He really needed to stop staring at her like that. It was unnerving and she could hardly breathe, let alone think, especially with the way the front of his body was pressed against the length of her side.

“I don’t know. I guess I never really thought about it. Never had reason to.”

“So you’ve found reason since meeting me to think about it, then?”

What was he going for here? He had to know she still loved him and that him asking these kind of questions was getting to be too hard for her to handle.

“I’ve just had time to think about the future,” she finally answered. “Your turn. I’ve often wondered since it happened. How many times can you change? Like you did before, I mean. Can you just keep doing that forever and ever?”

“Oh,” he breathed. “Well, no. The next one will be my last.”

“What? And after that, what?”

“After that…” He shrugged and said calmly, “That’ll be it.”

“That’ll be it, like you mean you’ll die and that’s it? You won’t be able to save yourself again?”

“Yup.”

“You’re telling me you wasted one of your changes on me?”

He abruptly scowled. “It wasn’t a waste.”

“Well, I think it was.”

“And I’m telling you it wasn’t,” he snapped. Near silence, broken only by the movie, reigned for a time until the Doctor sighed and smiled softly, apologetically. “I’m sorry, Rose. I shouldn’t have gotten angry, but I didn’t waste a change, a regeneration, on you. Dying for you was one of the best things I’ve ever done. Okay? You were worth it and don’t ever think otherwise.”

She stared at him, eventually reminding herself to nod. He looked away, focusing on the movie, and Rose finally found her tongue after several long, quiet minutes.

“Thank you. I don’t think I ever said that for what you did.”

He grinned, back to himself. “Not necessary. You did much more for me that day, but I’m rude and never said thank you.”

“Yeah, but you died for me.”

“And you nearly died for me,” he said softly and then randomly grinned. “Enough with the serious stuff, okay? I don’t like seeing you upset. Makes me wanna kick myself… which I can manage quite well, truth be told. Remind me to show you one day.”

She giggled. “Alright and fine. No more super serious stuff.”

“Good. My question, then. Let’s see.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip and Rose found herself jealous of a lip. Pitiful. “Huh. Oh, I know. At what age and where did you lose your virginity?”

“Doctor,” she gasped. He laughed and she blushed fiercely. “D’ya really wanna know or are you just askin’ to embarrass me?”

“No, I really want to know, but your expression was indescribable. Remember you can choose not to answer.”

“Yeah, I know. I, uh, I… was sixteen and we were in Sh’reen’s flat. She thought it was hilarious.” Rose blushed, feeling a little ashamed and embarrassed. The Doctor merely continued to stare at her, waiting. “We might’ve been a little, you know, pissed. Sh’reen’s boyfriend bought us some liquor and… Well, you get it. Not my proudest moment.”

“Ah, the adventures of adolescence.”

“Er, yeah.”

“Well, at least you can remember your first. I’ve been alive so long, I’ve completely forgotten mine.”

A startled laugh escaped her and then they were both laughing together, Rose’s face pressed into the Doctor’s chest. When their laughter finally died down, Rose once more relaxed onto her back and smiled up at him, shaking her head.

“Sometimes, I really don’t know if you’re telling the truth or just being ridiculous, but I don’t care. I love it either way.”

“I’m glad. Now.” He tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger, a small smile on his lips. “Do you have a question for me?”

“I will. Give me a second.” Inspiration struck in the form of a random, barely-formed thought. “What is one thing about you, one little talent or skill you have, that I’ll find hard to believe, but is 100% true?”

“Ooh. That is an excellent question. Oh, there’s so much to choose from.” 

More forcefully than ever, Rose was struck by the fact that he was ancient compared to her. He’d lived for so long, experienced so much, and picked up so many skills that she would likely never even know about most of them.

It was a bit depressing.

“Pick one or, I don’t know, how ever many you want.”

“You alright?”

“Sure.” 

He looked like he didn’t believe her, but she forced a smile. Must’ve been somewhat believable, too, because his brows puckered a little, but he seemed to let it go.

“Alright. Well, if you say so. Let’s see. At least one thing… Oh, I've been told I’m a very talented boxer.”

“Eh, too common. Lots of guys on Earth are talented boxers. Although…” She grinned. “Very hot.”

“Too right you are, Rose. Alright. Rare- Wait. Hot as in sexy?”

“Oh, my god.”

Did she really say that?”

“That’d be a yes!” He wiggled around excitedly and chuckled. “Do your best to keep remembering that. I can be sexy.”

“I’ll try. You still haven’t given me a good one.”

“Right, right, yes. Rarer skill. Ooh, well, I’m a proficient organist.”

She giggled. “So is my late grandma’s preacher’s wife.”

“Okay. Looks like I’m pulling out the big gun, then.” How she wished he would. “Rose Tyler.” He paused and smiled. “I am so talented at singing, my voice has been known to shatter glass.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“Does that really mean you’re very talented at it, though, or you just have a terrible voice or ability or whatever?”

“Do you doubt my voice? Haven’t you heard me sing before? I have quite a lovely singing voice. Very talented, me.”

“I don’t remember. Sorry. Mustn’t have been too good or else I’d remember it.”

“That’s it. I’m singing for you before the day has finished by, say, tomorrow.”

Oh, goody. Thank you, Doctor, for falling for that.

“If you insist, but if I go deaf, Mum’s gonna slap you into next Sunday.”

“That won’t be happening, because you’ll love my voice so no hearing loss for you. Perhaps some weak knees, some heart palpitations, maybe even a fainting spell or two, but no hearing loss.” He grinned and she rolled her eyes for his benefit. “Your turn. If you could have only one amazing ability- or superpower, I suppose, if you wish to use such a generic term- what would it be?”

“I like that. Hum. Any superpower? Like in those comic books Mickey used to read?”

“Interesting fact about Mickey,” the Doctor acknowledged. “He’s actually a geek or whatever you British folk call them. Yes, any of those or any other special ability you can think of, but just one.”

“I’d wanna read minds, I think.”

He smiled. “And why’s that?”

“It’d make saving people a lot easier if I could just read someone’s mind and see if they have good or bad intentions in mind, right? It’d be handy.” The Doctor looked stunned and Rose grimaced. “What? You asked me what I’d want and I told you. Quit looking at me like that.”

“You’d choose an ability not for your own gain, but to make saving the lives of others… easier?”

“Well, yeah. Wouldn’t you?”

“No. I’d have chosen the ability to become invisible that way I could spy on the ladies when they’re stripping.” Despite herself, Rose laughed in his face. Like really, truly laughed in his face. The Doctor chuckled a little and Rose hid her face from view. “Okay, I might have been lying about that. Still, Rose Tyler, you are an extraordinary creature.”

“Wasn’t trying to be, I promise. It’s just… we spend all our time saving people and, if there’s something that could make it better, it’d be saving even more people than we usually do, you know? Like being able to save the day faster and keeping people from dying or getting hurt. I mean, what’d help with that better than being able to know for a fact if someone’s good or bad, if a bad guy’s about to do something that’d kill a lot of people… er, aliens? I don’t know. You know what I mean.”

“I do, yes. You’re still extraordinary. Mine?”

“Two questions to go. Gotta make ‘em count so give me a while to think.”

“Take all the time you need.”

While she thought, the Doctor propped himself up on his elbow, his palm cradling his cheek, and just stared at her. She shifted to her side to face him and immediately felt much more relaxed. That couch hadn’t been big enough to comfortably fit them the way they’d been lying before.

“Alright. Here. What’s your idea of a perfect vacation?”

“Easy. You and me at a resort somewhere, no emergencies, no life or death situations. Just plenty of yummy drinks, any number of suns and moons, lots and lots of sunscreen for the poor human, tasty food, and a lot of relaxation and talking. Might even take a tour or two. Sounds perfect to me.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. If we were to ever, say, be forced to marry under the penalty of death-”

“Has that ever actually happened to you?”

“Uh. Er. Yes.”

His expression was completely blank and she literally couldn’t tell what was going on in his head. Was he being serious? Sarcastic? Was he lying? Surely a planet wouldn’t force marriage under the penalty of death. Then again, why would he lie about that?

“…okay. How many times?”

“I’ve forgotten, honestly.”

“Right. So?”

“So. If we were to ever be forced to marry under the penalty of death, what exactly would be your reaction to that?”

“What? Are you asking what I’d think about being married to you or are you really asking if I’d rather die than marry you?”

“Either one, I suppose. I’m not really picky.” She gave him a very good imitation of his “You’re an idiot” look and he groaned. “Oh, not that look, Rose.”

“Well, you kinda deserved it. Of course I’d marry you.” She blushed and his brows rose. “I mean, to save our lives, you know. Be silly not to. And it’s not like it’d count as a real marriage so you wouldn’t have to worry about that, yeah? ‘s not like we’d be forced to live on that planet as husband and wife.”

“But if we were?”

“Then I guess we’d be living as husband and wife.” The Doctor gave her an odd look and Rose frowned. “What now? What’d I say?”

“Living as husband and wife. Probably have to sleep together. I meant, you know, share a bed.” He huffed. “I meant slipping into sleep whilst in the same bed. Together. Side by side.”

“I got that, yeah. Probably have to do a lot of stuff together.” Not that she’d be complaining if that were to ever happen. Living as the Doctor’s wife? She wouldn’t shy away from that. “So, uh, good question. What’s-”

“And that wouldn’t bother you? Having to live as my wife, do things with me day in and day out, to share a bed, and forsake the company of others?”

Rose frowned. “Well, ‘s not like we’d have much choice, Doctor. I know talking ‘bout stuff like that makes you antsy- I remember that much from both this you and the previous you- and you’re probably close to freaking out right now, but it’s not actually happening so calm down. You’re getting all worked up over nothing.”

“Silly me. Your question.”

Rose’s frown deepened and she studied his blank expression a moment. What was going on with him? Did he need to get away from her for a little while?

“How about we take a quick break? Got a question each left and gotta make ‘em good. We can grab something to drink or whatever, check on Aquarius, and come back. Yeah?”

“I’m perfectly fine, but if you need a break, feel free. I’ll be right here waiting.”

Well, then no, he didn’t need a break.

“Alright. Do you need a hug, then? You’re acting strange.”

He smiled. “Could do with a hug, actually, if you’re offering.”

“I am.”

He happily pulled her into his embrace and sighed against her hair, holding her long enough that she started growing drowsy. Really drowsy. Um, really, really drowsy. She yawned against his collarbone and he slowly rubbed her back.

“Thank you,” he finally said. “You’ll never know how lovely one of your hugs are, Rose. Comforting, too.”

“Did you need some comfort?”

“Always.”

“Hmm,” she murmured sleepily. “‘m sorry.”

“Not your fault, of course…”

“No, didn’t think so.” 

She sniffed and blinked her eyes wide, though it didn’t help much. The Doctor seemed amused and Rose closed her eyes.

“Are we sleepy?”

“We’s you and me.” Did that even make sense? She yawned and then said, “I can’t be a we on my own.”

“No, I suppose you can’t be. Are you waiting for somebody special to whisk you off your feet?”

“Mmm.”

Her eyes refused to open again. She tried and failed, tried and failed, and then just decided to give up. There were worse things to do than falling asleep in the Doctor’s arms, after all. Like being surrounded by adorable baby animals or having an entire box of chocolates to yourself the first day of your monthly. Or, you know, falling asleep in the Doctor’s arms.

She might need to sleep ‘cause she was positive she wasn’t making sense, even to herself.

“Rose,” the Doctor said, chuckling. “You didn’t answer me.”

“Answer what?”

“Are you waiting for somebody special to whisk you off your feet?”

“I’m already off my feet.”

“Are you?”

Seemed kind of obvious in her book.

“Mhmm. Here with you.”

“Are you?” he repeated, a strange tone to his words. She nodded, burrowing deeper into the couch (and incidentally his arms), and he pulled in a deep breath. “And do you think I could be that special somebody?”

“Most special,” she corrected tiredly. Was she slurring?

“Am I?” he whispered, sounding thoughtful. “To you, Rose, I’m not simply a special somebody. I’m the most special? I could be that most special somebody?”

“Mmm.”

It was just a small prick at her mind. Something about this conversation was off and she knew it, but she was right on the edge of sleep so she couldn’t bring herself to care. The Doctor nudged her.

“Please don’t fall asleep yet. We still have a question left.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, stretching a bit, eyes still closed. “Who’s turn again?”

“You were supposed to ask me something.”

“’Kay.”

Apparently the Doctor thought she’d taken too long to think, because he again nudged her.

“Oh, please stay awake, Rose. Just a little bit longer and then you can be human.”

“I am. Was just thinking. My last one, ya know.”

“Fair enough. Think away.”

“No, I’ve got it. Do you dream?”

“Curious. I like it. When I sleep or just in general?” She held up her index finger in response. “Ah, well, yes. Every time I sleep. You asked ‘cause I’m different, right?”

“Not different,” she murmured. “Just not human. Was curious.”

“So it doesn’t matter to you if we’re two different species?”

“Should it?”

“You make an excellent point. Are you, ehm, close to sleep?”

“Mmm.”

“Terribly close?” he pressed. “Might not remember this question in the morning close?”

“Uh huh.”

Rose felt the Doctor caress her cheek and she leaned her cheek into his palm. She was hovering in that odd, weightless limbo between wakefulness and sleep. It was hard to concentrate, to hear the Doctor’s words, but she held on for just a bit longer.

“Thing is, I’ve wondered so many times over the past months when it happened, what I did wrong, how I could have changed things…” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone and Rose drifted further to sleep. “My last question is this, Rose: when did you stop loving me?”

“Di'n’t.”

She never heard his response.

 

 

The next morning, after having completely fantastic (read: naughty) dreams inspired by yesterday’s events, Rose woke up with the Doctor’s thigh between her legs and had her forehead resting against his chest, both of them still lying on their sides and facing each other. The Doctor’s hold was loose around her hip as she shifted a little to look up at his face.

He was asleep!

It was mind-blowing! She’d caught him sleeping only once in the entire time she’d known him. Seven years on Earth, six years in the TARDIS. Once. Well, twice now. Crazy. Rose relaxed back into her spot and stroked his tie for a moment, wondering what he was dreaming. Maybe she’d ask when he woke up.

With no warning, he caught her wrist and kissed her palm. She looked at him like he was mad.

“What’re you doing?”

He shrugged. “Looks like I kissed your hand.”

“Yeah, I got that. Why?”

“We’re friends,” he said at random, expression unreadable, “and you love me so why are you doing this to me?”

“I’m sorry,” she immediately replied. He knew she still loved him! “I really am. You can pretend, can’t you?”

“No, I can’t do that. God knows I can lie, but I can’t lie to myself. There’d always be something there in the back of my mind reminding me and no amount of lying could make me forget it.”

She momentarily bit her lip. “Then maybe you could… ignore it?”

“Oh, you know me. I couldn’t ignore anything to save my life.” He chuckled. “I’d prod a sleeping dragon with a short stick given the opportunity. Ignoring things isn’t my style.”

“You could try,” she said lamely.

“Do you want me to?” he asked after a short silence. “Is that it? Is it because, no matter what you say, I’m different? Is that what it boils down to, Rose? I'm not human... and please don’t lie to me. Not right now.”

“No. How could you even think that? I just know…” She pulled in a deep breath. “I’m just thinking about you. You can learn to ignore it. You did a pretty good job for years.”

No, she wasn’t going to cry. She refused to. For now, at least. Later, when she was alone, then she’d let herself cry.

“And if I don’t want to ignore it? What then?”

She furrowed her brows. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you?”

“Rose,” he sighed. He put a hand over his face and shook his head. “How have we gotten to this point?”

“What are you even talking about? What point?”

“Here, where things are so-” He huffed and dropped his hand back to the couch. “This isn’t how I expected or wanted our relationship to be. Not even close. You went and messed things up.”

Oh, God. He really was going to send her home.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to… I can try to avoid you for a while if that’d help.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” he snapped. Rose was forced to sit up when he pushed himself up and away from her. They ended up facing each other on the couch. “You don’t even understand what I’m feeling and I’ve tried getting through to you, but nothing works. I’ve had it.”

So now, yeah, she was crying. She couldn’t stop.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” he commanded, stressing each word. “Just listen, Rose. We made love months ago. Surely you remember that.”

“Yeah, I was there. Did it a couple times, actually.”

“And you’ve told me you love me.”

“If you’re sending me home, please just tell me now so I can-”

“I thought I told you not to say anything,” he nearly growled. Her eyes widened and she nodded. “Now, putting those two together, I see a woman who loves me and isn’t repelled by my body or my sexual prowess. Yet, that woman can’t seem to make up her mind about whether or not I’m worth taking a chance on.”

“What?”

The Doctor gave her a look and Rose’s coming protest died on the tip of her tongue. He wasn’t making sense. He was the one who’d pushed her away, not the other way around.

“Do you really think I would have made love to you if I didn’t think you were worth taking a chance on, Rose? Do you think I’m the sort of man who spreads himself about?” He huffed and looked away. “We shared one hell of a night together and I thought it was perfect, but since that night, you’ve been throwing out all sorts of signals, both bad and good, and I’m tired of trying to decipher how you feel, Rose. I’m just tired. I mean, what do you have to say for yourself? Do you enjoy torturing people? Have I been wrong about you this entire time?”

“No,” she denied. “I don’t even know what you’re saying.”

“That first morning after, you stayed hidden in your bedroom for six hours. The TARDIS alerted me the moment you woke up so don’t try telling me you slept in.”

“But-”

She’d been sore as hell and could barely move. Saving the world plus having her world rocked by the Doctor? A much stronger woman would still have been affected.

“And when I asked how you felt, you gave me a “fine” and kept buttering your toast,” he interrupted. “Didn’t look at me, didn’t elaborate, didn’t tell me if you were okay with us, didn’t say anything but “fine.” The brush off. A one night stand to you so I backed off.”

“I wasn’t-”

He’d only asked how things were. He hadn’t asked how she felt, because she would have told him! What the hell was he on about?

“And when your monthly was three weeks late in coming and you thought you were pregnant, Rose, who did you turn to for comfort? Who did you beg to hold you? Who had to watch helplessly while you cried and slept? Who did you bemoan your forced motherhood to? Me, the man responsible.”

“I wasn’t-”

Those had been happy tears if the idiot would have paid attention… and she hadn’t been bemoaning her forced motherhood. She’d been fretting about the future, but that was it. She’d been heartbroken when her monthly came.

“Stop. Talking,” he snarled. “I am speaking and I want silence, Rose. I need to get this all out and then you can speak.” He pushed out a sharp breath and Rose hiccuped, tears still sliding down her cheeks. “However, despite all the bad signals, especially the ones I just mentioned, there were the good signals. The lingering looks, the jealousy, the scent of arousal at the oddest times when it was just us, the willingness to be close to me, the-”

“Cuddling.”

He frowned. “What?”

“It’s called cuddling.”

“Regardless of what it’s called, I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind, maybe decided I was worth your time, and I tried- oh, how I've tried- to woo you.” He shook his head. “Unfazed.”

“Woo me?” she repeated blankly. “When did you do that?”

“Almost daily for the past two months,” he replied tersely. “Your birthday was my final grand gest-”

She held up a hand and he stopped talking, arching a brow. Sod his talking. Rose was done talking.

She kissed him. Well, to anyone else, it’d probably look like she was trying to steal the air from his lungs.

He wasn’t complaining.

With a groan, he surged forward and took control of the kiss, moving them until he’d somehow fitted himself right between her legs and tight against her body. Rose eventually pulled back to gasp in air. She was nearly hanging over the armrest and was actually sitting on the Doctor’s lap.

She just couldn’t believe any of this.

“You stupid alien.”

She kissed him again and he was the one to pull back next.

“You stupid human.”

“Not my fault you didn’t ask point blank.”

“And I didn’t?”

“No,” she groaned, mostly because of what his hand was doing beneath her pajama bottoms, but whatever. “I wanted you. Do want you. More than just like this.”

He fisted her hair with his free hand and she grabbed his shoulders, anchoring herself as they moved against each other and kissed.

“Us?” he breathed against her lips and then a quiet, guttural groan escaped him when she rolled her hips again. "All of it? Not just..."

“Yeah. Everything.”

“Thank God.”

He leaned back to pull off her pajama top and Rose’s breath stuttered. She fumbled with the buttons of his own shirt, but it took almost no time at all after that for them to be completely skin to skin.

“My head.”

He pulled her further down the couch by the hips and then slowly eased her onto her back, kissing her as he did. When she slid her hand between their bodies and grasped his erection, he broke the kiss and pulled up just enough to give her room and to watch what she was doing.

His eyes met hers after she’d rubbed the head against her clit a few times and only then did she guide him to her entrance. He resisted, but still dropped to his elbows. Poor man’s will power wasn’t strong enough.

“You’re sure?”

“For months now. Yes.”

Without warning, he thrust in to the hilt and Rose grabbed his hair to yank him down for a deep kiss. He pulled his head up after a moment and stared at her. His groin grazed over her clit and Rose shivered. He thankfully kept to that position.

“But why?”

“Why what?”

“If you wanted to be with me, why did you avoid me for six hours that morning after?”

“I could barely move,” she huffed. “If you’ll think for a second, I’m human. We not only saved the entire universe the day before, but then spent hours and hours afterwards having sex.”

“What?”

“I was sore as hell. I had to crawl to get to the bathroom.”

He looked concerned. “Why didn’t you call for me? You had to know I would’ve helped you, Rose.”

“Because that is how I wanted you to see me the day after we finally…” she said sarcastically and then let out a long moan. The Doctor eventually released one nipple and moved to the other. She wrapped a leg around his bum and pushed him in deeper. He cursed against her sensitive flesh and nipped. “You didn’t ask how I was.”

“Yes, I did,” he said, nipple trapped between his teeth.

“You didn’t. Just asked how things were.”

“It was an all-encompassing ‘things.’” He blew on her hot flesh and leaned up to steal a kiss. “I suppose I can see how you might have misunderstood that, though.”

“Should just ask what you mean instead of beating around the bush.”

The Doctor chuckled darkly. “Right.”

Rose giggled. 

“Just so you know, I wasn’t complaining about my potential motherhood.”

“You were,” he murmured against her neck.

“I wasn’t.”

The Doctor slowly withdrew and thrust back in, taking extra care to grind his pelvis against her clit. Rose moaned lightly and scratched his back.

“Then explain,” he said shakily, arching into her nails, “why you were crying about not being ready for a child and wishing you had more time.”

“I was worried ‘bout the future,” she answered and then yelped when he bit her shoulder. “I don’t know the first thing about kids and I was worried I’d do something wrong or not have something on hand that’s necessary. Stuff like that.”

“That’s all?” he asked in relief. “You weren’t angry or upset you might’ve been pregnant?”

She shook her head. “No. Was actually a bit sad I… I mean, I wasn’t- but I could’ve been happy if-”

His lips pressed against her own, cutting off her disjointed response, and Rose clutched at his shoulders. She rocked into him and fully enjoyed him speeding up his thrusts and grinding against her clit. The Doctor soon pulled away from her lips with a gravely groan.

“The tears?”

“Happy,” she admitted, blushing.

He cursed under his breath. “You really did want me this whole time?’

“Yes,” she cried. He pinched her other nipple and she gasped. “Thought you didn’t.”

“But every time I would hold you, you’d pull away…”

“’Cause I thought it might annoy you.”

“Far from it.” His hips snapped forward, his length hitting the back wall of her vagina and grinding his pelvis against her hard, and Rose squeezed her eyes shut. “Has there been no one else, then?”

“No one.” Her legs tensed and the Doctor nipped her bottom lip. “Aquarius?”

“What about her?”

“Why Mummy and Daddy?”

“Wanted to see your reaction. That you didn’t react negatively gave me hope for a moment. What did you think?”

“Thought you were being an arse.”

He laughed, startled. “That’s my fault, I suppose.”

“And so that thing with the kids… when we were on Hakos with the king and queen?”

“I thoroughly enjoyed that. Unless, of course, you are referring to Amera asking about pregnancy. That, I can promise you, I did not enjoy in any way, shape, or form.”

“I noticed. If your dinner had been alive... I’m surprised you didn’t break your fork.”

“Hmm. May I ask what Jack was telling you at your birthday party? You both kept looking at me and for a moment…”

“He was talking about you. Oh. Ohhh… Faster. He- he said you loved me. Said if he could tell you love me, it’s not all in my head. Was trying to get me to go tell you I felt the same.”

The Doctor momentarily faltered and then redoubled his efforts. 

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You truly do still love me?”

“So much,” she panted. “He said you were a coward and told me to take pity on you. Said you were watching me a lot.”

“I was. Couldn’t take my eyes off you.” Rose grabbed his hips and ground against him. She was getting close. “So when we were eating cake and you asked about something Jack said?”

“I lost my nerve, but yeah. Was gonna ask if he’d been telling the truth.”

“I do love you. I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you before. God, I love you, Rose.”

“Amera saying you value me very much? It was love.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been so stupid. Should’ve figured that out.”

“Not if you truly thought I was giving you the brush off our morning after.”

“I did.”

The Doctor reared back, eliciting a groan of disapproval from her, and scooted forward. He put one foot on the floor, grabbed her hip with one hand, and began rubbing tight circles over her clit with the other. She totally approved this change in position now she thought about it. She could see all of him now and he’d gained enough traction to really be able to thrust into her.

Rose angled her pelvis up and nearly cried out in pleasure when his next thrust… and the one after that… and after that connected sharply with her back wall. She was so far gone and he was hitting the exact right spot.

“Touch your breasts for me,” he ordered in a deep voice. “I want to see you.”

“That was so sexy,” she panted, obeying immediately. “Erotic, manly, dominant- Oh, my God…”

“I love how responsive you are. It’s so damned arousing, Rose. I wish you could see yourself the way I do. Especially now.”

“You, too.” Her body tightened up. Her climax wasn’t too far off now. “The marriage questions tonight? The jewelry?”

“Gathering information.”

“About me?” she asked breathlessly. He nodded, mouth slightly open and eyes dark from blown pupils. Rose swallowed. “Is that something you’d considered?”

“It is.”

“The babies stuff?”

“Same.”

“You’d want one?”

“With you. Our poochie baby is practice, I suppose.”

Rose laughed, sounding happy. He gave her an odd look, but then shook it away and resumed his previous actions. Exactly one minute later, Rose tightened and arched, her climax right… there… Just a little bit… more… and… The Doctor pinched her clit and gently twisted and Rose cried out, her climax washing over her in waves and stealing her breath away. 

“Oh, Rose.” He was breathing harshly, doubled up over her body, and squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m trying to hold on. I really am, ‘cause I want more, longer, but you feel so…”

“You, too.”

As her pleasure ebbed away, Rose leaned up and kissed him. His hands moving to her hair, the Doctor gasped into the kiss and then trembled; Rose felt the first of his release a moment later. He groaned in pleasure, eyes clenched shut, and shallowly withdrew and thrust, riding out his orgasm.

“Feels incredible,” he breathed. “Perfect. Love you. Do. Really do.” 

She ran her hands down his sides and around to his back as he collapsed onto his elbows. She turned her head, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and sighed against his skin. 

“Are you okay?”

“Trying to ascertain I'm not, in fact, asleep.”

“Oh, Doctor.” She debated stroking his back, but settled with pinching his bum. He jerked forward, making her moan, and then looked at her incredulously. “Just making sure you’re awake.”

He chucked and stretched forward to kiss her.

“You, Rose Tyler, are amazing. Never forget it.”

She smiled and he flopped to his side beside her. After turning onto her side so they could both comfortably fit, Rose grabbed his hand and shyly looked at him.

“I love you, too.”

“I know that now. You never, uh, never told me how you felt about Aquarius and everything.”

It took her a moment.

“Marriage and children?” she checked. “Do you wanna know if I'm interested in that or if I'm interested in doing it all with you?”

“I do wonder which I could possibly mean.”

“Well, of course I'm interested in doing it all with you. For being a genius, you can be pretty-”

He shut her up with a kiss. When he eventually let her breathe again, he pinned her in place with a single look.

“Are you sure?”

“You spent the entire day asking about marriage, jewelry, and babies, Doctor, and I wasn’t imagining doing it on my own. Yes, I'm sure.”

"Yeah?"

It wouldn’t be until hours and hours later that Rose Tyler would find herself reflecting upon the fact that her twenty-fifth birthday was, without a doubt, her best birthday.

The following year, as she stared down at the Doctor kneeling on one knee, she realized things could and would only get better from there.

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> I know that took up so much of your time, but I hope it was worth it! :)
> 
> Also, that dessert Rose was "allergic" to was purposely not put in the story beyond the one scene, because it was so disgusting. Rather than write what I imagined, you may think up whatever you like.


End file.
